Moon, PA- The D1 Hockey team bounced right back after their conference loss against Pitt with back to back wins over Canisius College last weekend. In a back and forth high scoring affair on Friday night, RMU won 7-4. The following day in a much more defensive battle, the Colonials won 3-1 over the visiting Griffins. 

Game 1: RMU wins 7-4

Forward David Roebuck was the first to make the scoreboard flash a change to make it 1-0 RMU. Canisius would tie the game about a minute later, and that would be the last of the scoring for the period.
The 2nd period is when both offenses really opened up, each team trading scoring blows throughout.

Canisius took the 2-1 lead, but it would not hold for long as Zach Gielarowski made it 2-2 for the Colonials shortly after. Gielarowski decided to get himself another one too. With 7 minutes to play in the second period, the Colonials led 3-2. Antoni Chirgott added a goal of his own to make it 4-2 for Robert Morris. With momentum heavily in the Colonials favor after scoring the past 3 goals they started to take their foot off the gas. Canisius capitalized with 2 quick strikes late in the period, and we went to the 3rd with the score 4-4.   

In the 3rd, the game got pretty chippy as there was a combined three 10 minute game misconduct penalties called. Two were on Canisius and one was one Robert Morris over the course of two separate events. When actual hockey was able to be played though, it was dominated by RMU. Nathan Mickey got himself in the goal column with his go-ahead goal to make it 5-4. Matthew Butson and Tyler Draper added a couple insurance markers to seal the win for the Colonials. Goaltender Lewis Richardson got the victory in net, stopping 24 shots out of 28. 

Game 2: RMU wins 3-1

If the edge and frustration each team encountered the day before was part of a meal, it was merely an appetizer compared to what followed on Saturday. RMU amassed 16 penalty minutes on 8 minor penalties. However, Canisius recorded a staggering 54 penalty minutes, from 12 minor penalties and 3 ten minute misconduct penalties. Parker Rutherford got the start for the Colonials, and he was sensational stopping 32 of 33 shots in the victory.

It would be close to 13 minutes into the first period when someone would finally get onto the scoreboard, and that someone was Joseph Zottola. Zottola scored on the 4 on 3 power play assisted by Andrew Hachmeister and Gielarowski. This would stand as the only goal of the period.

Nathan Mickey got his second of the weekend and first of the game in the 2nd period to double the Robert Morris lead. Steven Ralston scored to make it 3-0 for the Colonials, but the goal stands for a little bit more than that. According to the team's official twitter account, the goal stands as Ralston's 100th career point as a member of the Colonials. Canisius would get one back in the third but it wouldn't be enough as RMU improved to 9-2-1 with the win.

The team plays again at home this upcoming weekend with a 2 game series against Kent State. 

Alexander Gagnon '21
Club Sport Information Director