The Colonials, back in the USCHO top 20 for the eighth time this season, stay on the road this weekend with a trip to Colorado and a rematch with Atlantic Hockey rival Air Force. RMU has won four in a row to stretch its lead in the Atlantic Hockey Conference standings to four points over second-place Canisius. After six straight wins, Air Force has risen to fourth place, nine points back of the Colonials.
ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
– Seeking its first regular-season conference title, Robert Morris maintained its lead over the rest of the league with two tight victories at Holy Cross last weekend. Now 3-2 in one-goal games, RMU earn its first road sweep of the season and improved to 6-1-3 as the visiting team.
– With their 2-1 come-from-behind victory last Saturday, the Colonials set a new team record for conference wins in a season (14). RMU won 13 AHC games in each of the past four years .
– Four Colonials recorded multiple points in the series at Holy Cross, led by Zac Lynch’s four (1g, 3a). The junior from Shaler, Pa., is second on the team in scoring with 28 points (12g, 16a); he has 10 points (4g, 6a) during his current four-game scoring streak.
– Brady Ferguson and Cody Wydo scored two goals each in last Friday’s 4-3 win, giving RMU 12 multi-goal efforts on the season. Senior Hobey Baker nominee Wydo paces the Colonials with 16 goals and 18 assists, while the freshman Ferguson has 11 goals, the second-most among first-year players in Division I.
– Last Saturday marked the fifth time in 26 games this season that RMU trailed at the first intermission. While the Colonials had rallied to earn ties on three of those occasions, Saturday was their first win in that situation.
– FUN FACT: Although the Colonials are second in the nation in shots per game at 36.0, they were credited with just 14 last Friday. Interestingly enough, RMU is 2-0 this season when getting fewer than 20 shots on target.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
– Riding their hottest streak of the year, the Falcons welcome RMU to Cadet Ice Arena for the first time since Nov. 16, 2013. Air Force has won seven straight games against the Colonials in the thin air of Colorado Springs.
– The Falcons maintained a slight edge (13-10-1) in the all-time series against the Colonials with a win and a tie at 84 Lumber Arena earlier this season. On Nov. 15, Air Force dealt RMU its first overtime loss in nearly four years, ending a 27-game unbeaten streak (8-0-19) in extra time.
– Prior to its current surge up the Atlantic Hockey standings, Air Force endured a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) that spanned the semester break. Since then, the Falcons have been one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning four one-goal games in the process.
– Air Force’s attack has shifted into a higher gear during the winning streak, scoring 3.83 goals per game and firing an average of 37 shots. The Falcons’ top line of Scott Holm, Chad Demers and Cole Gunner has been especially impactful this season, piling up 33 goals and 81 total points.
– After sophomore goalie Chris Truehl started the first 24 games of the season, freshman Connor Girard has gotten the call in the previous three. Girard has stopped 86 of 91 shots over that span, good for a .945 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average.
-by RMU PR staff
