Colonials Find Success on Long Island
RMU traveled to Farmingdale, NY for their final regular season weekend of the 2018-19 season. Traveling on 495 seemed to be the hardest part of the trip as the Colonials shined on the rink all weekend long.
After an eight plus hour trip from the burgh, RMU had a tough game against Cortland on Friday night. The Colonials have battled back and forth with Cortland over the last few seasons, going back to their heartbreaking loss in the Final Four during the 2016 National Championship. Cortland got on the board quick with two goals in the first period. Bobby Mo never took the lead in the game and their comeback came just one goal short falling 5-4. Goaltender Paul Schreiber saved 21 of 24 shots and kept the Colonials in the game.
After a good night's sleep, RMU was back at it for a 10:00 am game versus the number 1 team in the division (and possibly nation), University of Massachusetts. The Colonials dominated the first two periods, but three straight penalties in the third period were too much to handle. The upset came up short, but overall RMU had many positive things to take from the battle.
Next up was Northeastern University later that afternoon. The Colonials had momentum early in the game and never looked back. They ended up winning the game 6-2. Cam Zahn, Dan Trunk, Jesse Zahn and Sean Lawrence found the back of the net. This was a huge game for the Colonials who were looking to gain ground in the seedings for Regionals.
Later that evening, the ECRHA All-Star game took place. Assistant Captain, Jesse Zahn, and Captain, Dan Trunk were the representatives for Robert Morris. For the first time ever, the all-star game was with Division 1, 2, 3 and 4 players and was set-up as a draft format. Two goaltenders were chosen as captains and selected their teams. Both Trunk and Zahn were drafted by Division 1 Farmingdale goaltender. Trunk and Zahn started the game on a line with two Farmingdale players. Later in the skills competition, Jesse Zahn competed in the fastest skater competition and WON with a time of 14.8. Both Trunk and Zahn competed in the shootout competition as well. Trunk won the competition two seasons ago. Trunk has appeared in every All-Star game during his collegiate career.
The Colonials were up early Sunday morning for a 7 am contest against the other Pittsburgh-area school, Slippery Rock University. SRU competes in Division 1, but must play against Division 2 opponents as well. Bobby Mo came out strong and never looked back. Goaltender Paul Schreiber was the first star of the game with 38 saves. RMU goals were scored by Cam Zahn, Zach Bolotsky (from Dan Trunk) and twice from Sean Lawrence (from Jesse Zahn).
The last game of the regular season was against Penn State University. Going into the game, the Colonials were confidently standing in the sixth seed going into Regionals. The game (win or lose) would not change it. With many players facing bumps and bruises after a hard fought weekend, the lineup saw some changes. Defenseman Ricky Scott decided to put the pads. Forward Zach Bolotsky moved back to defense. Well what a game it was! It had ups and downs and no lack of offense from either team. Dan Trunk (2 goals, 1 assist) and Jesse Zahn (2 goals, 1 assist) ended the game as the second and third star. Nick Brandt, David Waxter and Cam Zahn all made it onto the scoresheet as well. The game was deadlocked as the final buzzer went off. Into a three-on-three overtime, both teams took two penalties each. Overtime was still not enough for either side. Jesse Zahn ended up scoring the deciding shootout goal and Scott made all three saves for the Colonials to end their weekend with a 7-6 victory.
Next up: Regionals in Feasterville, PA. As the sixth seed, the Colonials will face-off against the number three seed. The weekend is a double-elimination format.
