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Matt Hoover and Robert Morris' Michael Coyne battle for the puck during Canisius' matchup with the Colonials at the LECOM Harborcenter Friday
Dean Bogart
4
Winner Robert Morris RMUM 4-4-0 (4-1-0 AHA)
2
Canisius CAN 1-5-0 (0-1-0 AHA)
Winner
Robert Morris RMUM
4-4-0 (4-1-0 AHA)
4
Final
2
Canisius CAN
1-5-0 (0-1-0 AHA)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Robert Morris RMUM 1 3 0 4
Canisius CAN 0 0 2 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Second-Period Surge Sends Robert Morris Past Hockey

Robert Morris scored three goals in a 1:59 span near the midway point of the second period to build a four-goal cushion and defeat Canisius, 4-2, in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at KeyBank Rink at the LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Jacob Coleman, Nick Jenny and Nick Prkusic all scored during the game-changing sequence for the Colonials (4-4-0, 4-1-0 AHA) while Brendon Michaelian opened the scoring with a power-play tally in the first.
 
Junior defenseman Blake Wareham and freshman forward Simon Gravel recorded their first collegiate tallies in the third for the Golden Griffins (1-5-0, 0-1-0 AHA).
 
Holding a 1-0 lead after the first thanks to Michaelian's power-play tally, the Colonials found the back of the net three times on five shots moments before the halfway point of the contest to take control of the contest.
 
Coleman began the sequence at the 8:09 mark of the middle frame with a shorthanded tally, beating Canisius keeper Matt Ladd with a wrist shot to the glove side that rang off the post and in to make it 2-0.
 
Jenny stretched the lead to 3-0 just 1:18 later as he placed a shot over the glove of Ladd and under the crossbar from the right faceoff circle during an odd-man rush while the team's skated 4-on-4.
 
Prkusic capped the second-period barrage on the next shift with the Colonials second power-play marker of the evening, putting a wrist shot past Ladd from the top of the right face-off circle.  
 
Wareham spoiled Robert Morris goaltender Justin Kapelmaster's shutout bid at the 4:20 mark of the third, placing a wrist shot over Kapelmaster's shoulder from the right point to trim the Canisius deficit to 4-1.
 
Gravel closed out the scoring in the final minute of regulation, jamming home a loose puck during a Canisius power-play opportunity to determine the final two-goal margin.
 
Kapelmaster made 39 saves in goal for Robert Morris. Ladd got the start for Canisius and made 12 saves before being replaced by freshman Jacob Barczewski in the second period. Barczewski stopped all 14 shots he faced.  
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"We're a frustrated group tonight. We played well for 50 minutes, but we had about a 10-minute lapse in the second period that cost us the game. We need to find a way to eliminate that from our game. We're a young team looking to build upon some positives. We will find those from tonight. We had some really strong moments. But that 10-minute lapse in the second is really frustrating for our team.
 
"It starts with the power play in the second. We had possession time, but we got risky, and we gave up a shorthanded goal that started things. We need goaltending in some moments where we don't have maybe our best 10 minutes. We need a couple of saves there. That would've helped. We got risky; we got impatient; we got down; we stopped caring about where we were putting pucks. That hurts on line changes, hurts on everything. We were trying to get some momentum 5-on-5, trying to get some momentum on the power play. It didn't exist at that time and it cost us the game tonight.
 
"It was our first experience in conference play. Atlantic Hockey is not easy. It's difficult every night. For our young guys, it was their first chance to see a what a conference opponent looks like. What they understand now is that it's not easier. It's not easier against a North Dakota, a RPI, a Union, the non-conference opponents that we've faced so far. Sometimes, in some moments of the game, it's a lot tougher. It means more. We need to find a way for our guys to look themselves in the mirror and understand that we need to get better. We need everyone, all the time. That's something we'll have to address moving forward.
 
Game Notes
• Friday's game served as the 32nd meeting between Canisius and Robert Morris. The Colonials increased their lead in the all-time series to 19-10-3 with Friday's victory.
• Canisius out-shot Robert Morris, 41-30, for the contest, highlighted by a 21-7 advantage in the third. The 41 shots by the Griffs represented a season high in that category.
• Robert Morris was 2-for-3 on the power play while Canisius was 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
• Wareham became the second Canisius defenseman to record a goal this season, joining senior Matt Stief in that category.
• Gravel is the second Canisius freshman to find the back of the net for his first collegiate tally in as many contests (Keaton Mastrodonato vs Union)
• Junior forward Grant Meyer recorded his first point of the campaign with the lone assist on Wareham's third-period tally.
 
Up Next
• The two teams complete their home-and-home series Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at Colonials Arena in Pittsburgh.
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