RMU Men’s Hockey Notebook: Colonials head west after weekend split
By Larry Snyder
The Robert Morris University men’s ice hockey team split a pair of Atlantic Hockey Association conference games on the road last weekend, losing 4-1 Friday night to American International College at Olympia Ice Rink before coming back to beat the Yellow Jackets 5-4 on Saturday afternoon.
On Friday night, senior right winger Adam Brace put the biscuit in the net against AIC senior goaltender Ben Meisner just 55 seconds into the second period to close the gap to 2-1.
The Yellow Jackets would retake a two-goal lead just a couple of minutes in to the third period to make the score 3-1. American International then added an empty-net goal with less than two minutes on the clock.
The Colonials would score first and often to bring home a 5-4 victory on Saturday afternoon in West Springfield, Mass. Junior defenseman Andrew Blazek delivered on the scoresheet with a goal at the 3:50 mark of the first period, and at the 19:50 mark of the second period.
Sophomore left wing Cody Wydo, junior left wing Mac Roy, and senior center Zach Hervato also found the back of the net for Robert Morris. Senior goaltender Eric Levine turned away 30 of 34 shots to improve his record to 11-5-2.
PUCK POINTS: Robert Morris is 12-7-2 overall, and 7-6-1 with 15 points in the AHA. The Colonials are tied for eighth place with RIT with 15 points. The battle for a top-four regular season finish, and a bye in the first round of the postseason tournament, is heating up in the second half of the season. Nine of the 12 teams in the conference have between 18 and 13 points.
Mac Roy’s goal on Saturday was his first as a Colonial. He also added an assist in the win on Saturday. Zach Hervato’s goal on Saturday night was his 50th career point as a Colonial.
Adam Brace leads the Colonials in points with 21. That puts him in a tie for fourth place in the AHA with Kelly Fletcher of Holy Cross.
On special teams, Andrew Blazek leads the Colonials with two power play goals, while Adam Brace leads the RMU penalty-kill unit with three short-handed goals.
NEXT UP: The Colonials are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on the Air Force Academy in AHA action. The puck will drop at 9:05 ET at Cadet Ice Arena on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Air Force is 9-9-5 overall, and tied for fourth in the AHA with a record of 7-5-3 and 17 points. The Colonials are 0-5-0 in their last five games at Air Force.