Coraopolis, PA- The quest to defend their 2019 CHMA championship took a major step forward this weekend. D1 Club Hockey has clinched a 1st round bye in the CHMA playoffs thanks to their wins over the IUP Crimson Hawks and the Mercyhurst Lakers. It wasn't close for long in the Friday night matchup against IUP with RMU winning the game in convincing fashion 10-1. In a much closer Saturday game, RMU defeated Mercyhurst 4-2 to clinch the first round bye. Pitt is likely to be the other school who clinches a first round bye for the conference playoffs.
RMU Rolls by IUP 10-1
It only took two and a half minutes for RMU to take the lead, and it was
Tyler Draper to put them on the board.
Trevor Kleckner joined in on the actions a few minutes later to make it a 2-0 lead early for the Colonials. IUP would fire back with a goal of their own, but it would be the only one the Crimson Hawks would get past Colonials goaltender
Lewis Richardson.
Nathan Mickey added one more Colonial goal for the period and RMU led at first intermission 3-1.
Four minutes into the second period, Mickey netted his second of the night to make it 4-1.
Steven Ralston was the next RMU forward to get in on the action, and his goal made it 5-1 in the middle of the second. Captain
Tanner Orr scored several minutes after, and defenseman
Andrew Hachmeister got one with two minutes to go in the period. RMU led 7-1 after the second period, but there was still offensive action in the third.
Kleckner got his second of the night early in the 3rd, becoming the second Colonial of the night to have a multi-goal performance. Defenseman
Noah Raymundo scored with 11:55 to go, and then
Trevor Kleckner completed the hat trick with his third goal of the night. His 3rd goal was also the final of the game as the Colonials won 10-1.
RMU defeats Mercyhurst 4-2
RMU did not dominate this game like they had in the previous night, but they still did what they needed to do in order to pick up the victory. The Colonials did open the scoring like they had the night before though.
Nathan Mickey went top shelf to net his team leading 24th goal of the season and give RMU a 1-0 lead exactly halfway through the period. They maintained that lead through the rest of the 1st, but not for much longer after that.
Mercyhurst got two quick ones on Robert Morris coming into the second period. The first coming 24 seconds into the period, and the second coming at the 1:52 mark. Now trailing 2-1, RMU had to regroup and get back into the game. The Colonials stopped the bleeding by preventing any more Mercyhurst goals for the period, but couldn't find one themselves and entered the 3rd down 2-1.
Matthew Butson would be the one to find the equalizer for Robert Morris. 2:07 into the 3rd period, he got his shot to go for his 6th of the season. The clock ran down into the last six minutes of the game before either side would strike again.
Tanner Orr found the go-ahead goal for RMU with less than 6 to play, and then defenseman
Zach Gielarowski scored a minute later to seal the deal for RMU.
Alexander Gagnon '21
Club Sport Information Director
