The Robert Morris University men’s hockey team earned a split during its weekend trip to the Air Force Academy and earned coach Derek Schooley his 300th career win in the process.
Schooley, the program’s coach since its inception in the 2004-05 season, had to wait until the second half of the back-to-back series to celebrate his milestone, as the Colonials dropped Friday’s series opener, 4-1.
RMU turned the tables Saturday with a 6-3 victory, giving Schooley a chance to celebrate.
Friday night’s game began with two first-period Air Force goals by Holt Oliphant and Chris Hadden. The Falcons held the 2-0 lead all the way through the second period, which was scoreless for both teams.
Air Force’s Brendan Gibbons and Jake Petersen scored third-period goals, extending the lead to 4-0, before a late goal by Robert Morris’ Michael Felsing ended the shutout bid. Charlie Schenkel was in goal for RMU and Dominik Wasik for Air Force.
The Colonials jumped out quickly in Saturday’s game with a goal by John Babcock, and RMU held the 1-0 lead through the first period. Air Force’s Chris Hedden scored early in the second period to tie the game and Christian Cole later scored to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
Robert Morris went on a goal-scoring streak midway in the period with a goal from Cameron Garvey and two goals from Jackson Reineke. Ryan Taylor added another second-period goal, giving the Colonials a 5-2 lead going into period three.
The lead was held until the 12:49 mark of the third period when Nick Sajevic scored for Air Force, but Robert Morris’ Braden Rourke closed out the scoring with a goal late in the period, and the Colonials pulled out a split of the series with a 6-3 win. Schenkel was in net for RMU and recorded 32 saves.
Robert Morris is in seventh place in the Atlantic Hockey America Conference with a conference record of 4-3-1 and an overall record of 4-10-2. Air Force is in fourth place with a 6-5-1 conference record and is 9-7-2 overall. The Colonials do not play again until Dec. 30 when they face Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.
Robert Morris women’s hockey hosts Long Island University
The Robert Morris women’s hockey team will take on the Long Island University Sharks in back-to-back games at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center – Clearview Arena – Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13, on Neville Island.
Friday’s game will start at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s game is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
Long Island, from the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), enters the series with a 7-8-1 overall record and is 5-8-1 in conference. The Sharks’ leading scorers are Crosby Wilfong, who has four goals and eight points, and Victoria Petroska, who also has eight points.
Robert Morris enters the series with an 8-12-2 overall record and is 6-6-2 and in fourth place in the Atlantic Hockey America Conference (AHA).
The Colonials had a very successful trip to Syracuse, N.Y., over the weekend where they took on the Syracuse Orange in back-to-back conference games.
Friday night’s game was a complete defensive battle where both teams went scoreless through the first two periods. Goalies Maggie Hatch of RMU and Ava Draby of Syracuse were looking for a shutout, until Colonials defenseman Thalia D’Elia scored early in the third period to give RMU a 1-0 lead. Hatch nailed down the shutout with 36 saves and the 1-0 victory for Robert Morris.
During the following day’s game, Emma Gnade scored first for the Orange in the opening period, but Robert Morris’ Alexis Vrana tied the game at 1-1 going into period two.
The only goal of the second period was provided by RMU’s Alaina Giampietro, and that gave the Colonials a 2-1 lead heading into the final period. Syracuse tied the game early in the third period with a goal by Heidi Knoll and the game ended in a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation.
Neither team was able to score in overtime, and the game went to a shootout, which Robert Morris won, 1-0. Hatch recorded 42 saves for RMU and Draby 36 for the Orange. Syracuse is in sixth place in the AHA and is 8-11-2 overall and 4-6-2 in the conference.
Be First to Comment