The second game of the weekend series between the Robert Morris men’s hockey team and the Army Black Knights kicked off on a warm October evening. Unfortunately, unlike the night before, the Colonials failed to get off to a hot start and eventually fell to Army 3-1. This loss was “disappointing,” according to head coach Derek Schooley, as the Colonials’ hardworking performance was not enough.
Army started off strong as they wasted little time getting on the board. Sophomore Michael Wilson put home a rebound off the pad of Francis Marotte. This goal was scored early in a Black Knights’ power play and at the 7:02 mark in the first period of play. They would keep this lead heading into the first intermission.
The second period started off loaded with action as the Colonials returned to the ice with a man advantage left over from a Black Knights slashing penalty late in the first. Before this penalty expired RMU found themselves on a five-on-three power play, but were unable to convert before taking a penalty of their own making play four-on-four.
It only took a few more minutes for the teams to return to even strength and then even on the scoreboard. Luke Lynch’s shot beat Burns and draw the score even at 1-1. Brandon Watt and Michael Louria assisted the goal that drew the Colonials even with the Black Knights.
In the third period of play, RMU was given a golden opportunity to take the lead when they received a five-minute power play for boarding. Army’s Brendan McGuire was ejected for the hit, but his teammates were able to pick up the slack and kill off yet another RMU penalty.
Then, with just a minute and forty seconds remaining in regulation, Wilkinson beat Marotte to take the lead for the Black Knights, putting them up 2-1. RMU then pulled Marotte for an extra attacker, but they failed to even the score. The final nail was put in the coffin with just 10 seconds left when Army tacked on an empty netter to seal off their 3-1 victory.
Schooley cited special teams as the deciding factor in tonight’s loss.
“They got a power play goal and we didn’t,” said Schooley. He then mentioned that the Colonials’ power play unit failed to get the job done. “We’re not working as a five-man group, we are working as each individual,” added Schooley. The man advantage for RMU was a sore spot tonight as they went 0-4.
As for even-strength play, sophomore Jacob Coleman mentioned that more traffic in more of the net would have helped out. He continued to say that if the team “tightens up in more areas,” then the team will be fine going forward.
One bright spot for RMU tonight was its defense. Schooley was pleased with the lack of chances his defense allowed, saying that they played “well” tonight. He concluded by saying, “We put a lot of effort into this game, and that’s why it’s disappointing that we put in a lot of energy and effort, and it’s disappointing that we didn’t get the result we wanted.”
The Colonials will have their next chance to earn a victory next Friday in Columbus, Ohio. The puck will drop at 7:05 p.m. Then, they will return home the following evening to square off against the Buckeyes again.
