Fresh month. Fresh start. The Robert Morris men's hockey team (12-11-3 overall, 10-6-3) looks to return to its winning ways as the Colonials kick off the last month of the regular season this weekend with a home-and-home series against Canisius. RMU hosts the visiting Golden Griffins on Friday night at Clearview Arena before closing out the series on Saturday in Buffalo. Both games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. opening faceoffs.
Musket Shots
-The Colonials' next win will be the 100th in program history.
-All eight of RMU's games in 2012 have been decided by a goal or less (3-4-1).
-RMU is the only school in the nation with two goalies that rank in the top 25 for save percentage.
-Robert Morris boasts the only penalty killing unit in the country with a kill rate over 90 percent.
-The Class of 2012 needs four wins to become the winningest class in school history.
-Robert Morris topped Canisius 2-1 earlier this year at Clearview Arena.
-Cody Wydo is one of the top scorers in the nation and is tied for third among all NCAA rookies with 12 goals this season.
-Team point leader Cody Crichton has seven multi-point performances in his last 14 games.
Media Information:
This weekend's games, along with every Atlantic Hockey Association contest this season, can be viewed live at Americaone.com. Live stats can be found online at RMUColonials.com prior to each game. Audio for Friday's home contest can be found at RMUColonials.com (Gero Von Dehn and Bob Kennedy will have the call).
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Want exclusive, up-to-the-minute access to the Robert Morris men's hockey team? Follow the team using Facebook (Facebook.com/RMUHockey) and on Twitter (@RMUHockey).
Keeping It Close:
All eight of Robert Morris' games in 2012 have been decided by a goal or less (3-4-1). For the season, the Colonials have played very well in tight games with a 7-4-3 record in games decided by a goal or less.
A History of Tight Games:
RMU's 2012 trend of tight games could very well continue this weekend against Canisius. Four of the last five meetings with this weekend's foe have been decided by a goal or less while seven of the total eight games in series history have been decided by two goals or less. Last year's 4-1 RMU win (02/05/11) marks the lone exception in both cases.
The Century Club:
Robert Morris' next win will be the 100th in program history. In eight years of Division I play (all under head coach Derek Schooley), the Colonials have amassed a 99-135-34 overall record including a 23-15-8 mark since joining the Atlantic Hockey Association in 2010-11.
Killer Penalty Kill:
Robert Morris has retained the title of the nation's best penalty kill and is currently the only team in Division I hockey with a success rate above 90 percent. The Colonials have successfully killed off 104-of-112 penalties (92.9 percent) this season. Lake Superior State (88.7 percent) and Quinnipiac (88.5 percent) rank second and third in the nation, respectively.
Freshman on Fire:
Newcomer Cody Wydo ranks 17th in the nation with 0.57 goals per game and is tied for 13th in the nation among freshmen with .081 points per game. Wydo, who ranks tied for second in the AHA in goals, needs one goal to match Chris Margott's RMU freshman record set in 2005-06. The freshman tallied both of RMU's goals against Canisius earlier this year in a 2-1 RMU win.
Racking Them Up:
In a weekend that saw only four penalties in 120 minutes of action including just two on Saturday night, senior forward Ron Cramer's (New Wilmington, Pa. / Indiana Ice) second period offense for interference stood out as notable. The senior tied Jeff Gilbert (2004-07) for the Robert Morris all-time record with his 100th career-penalty. Cramer trails Gilbert by 28 minutes for the Colonials record in penalty minutes.
Scouting the Griffs:
Within striking distance of Robert Morris and the upper half of the Atlantic Hockey Association as the regular season hits the home stretch, Canisius is led by Kyle Gibbons with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists). Taylor Law (9-10-19) and Ben Danford (1-11-12) are the only other Griffs to reach the 10-point plateau this season -- the rest of Canisius's offense is spread throughout the team similar to the Colonials. Dan Morrison (4-8-2) and Tony Capobianco (4-6-2) have split time in the crease for the Griffs this year. Dave Smith is in his seventh year behind the Canisius bench.
Senior Success:
This year's 10-member senior class needs three wins to match last year's senior class for the most wins by a class in RMU men's hockey history. The Class of 2011 notched 53 career wins from 2007-10 including a program-best 18 wins last season. The Class of 2012 currently has 50 career wins.
Rigatti Gets on the Board:
Freshman defenseman David Rigatti notched his first career point with an assist in Friday's 2-1 loss to Niagara -- the newcomer's 11th game with Robert Morris. The freshman's assists now means that every Colonial skater who has dressed in a game this year has tallied a point -- 23 skaters total.
Chiavetta Ends the Skid:
Nick Chiavetta notched a goal and an assist over the weekend to snap a six-game point drought while the senior's goal on Friday snapped a nine-game goal drought for the forward. Chiavetta has six goals and 10 assists on the season.
Cartier With the Helpers:
Newcomer Cody Cartier added assists on both of RMU's goals over the weekend and now sits with three assists in his last four games. The freshman has two goals and eight assists in his first year with the program.
Playing with the Lead:
Through 24 games this year, Robert Morris is 10-1-1 when leading after the second period. Robert Morris is 5-1-0 when leading after the first period with last Friday's 2-1 loss to Niagara handing the Colonials its first loss in the category for the season.
Starting Strong:
The Colonials have come out of the gate strong this season, building a 6-3-0 record in series openers this year. The Colonials are also 7-5-1 in Friday night games. In the AHA race, the Colonials have picked up league points in seven of nine series openers this year including six wins.
Giving the Team a Plus:
Robert Morris features two of the top five AHA skaters in plus-minus this year including league-leader Josh Jones at plus-13. Fellow blueliner Tyler Hinds ranks fifth in the league at plus-10.
On the Horizon:
Robert Morris closes out a string of three-straight home-and-home-series next weekend with Merychurst. Robert Morris then travels to RIT for a two-game set before closing out the regular season at home against Air Force. Four of the Colonials' final eight games will be played at Clearview Arena.
Goaltending Tandem:
Robert Morris is the only school in the nation with two of the top 15 save percentages in the NCAA in Brooks Ostergard and Eric Levine. Ostergard (6-8-2) sits fourth in the nation at .935 while Levine (6-3-1) ranks 15th at .926. The junior, who also ranks 15th in the NCAA with a .722 winning percentage, has made 31 or more saves in each of his last five games.
Lewis Moving On Up:
Senior Trevor Lewis continues to climb the RMU record books as he closes out his college career. The Colonial captain ranks tied for fifth in career goals (29), tied for sixth in career points (72) and tied for seventh in assists (43). Oddly enough, Lewis is tied with Jason Towsley (2005-08) in all three categories. The next man in Lewis' sights is Sean Berkstresser (2004-07). Berkstresser sits fifth all-time at RMU with 77 points, fourth in goals with 32 and sixth in assists with 45.
Cramer Climbs the Ranks:
With 55 career points, senior forward Ron Cramer (0-6--6) needs just three more to tie Brett Hopfe (2004-07) for tenth on RMU's career points list. The forward's 36 career assists are just three behind Chris Kaufman (2008-11) for tenth on the program's career list.
Putting the Puck on Net:
When the Colonials put the puck on net, chances are they are going to win. Robert Morris holds an 9-4-3 record when tallying 30 or more shots. That record improves to an unbeaten 4-0-1 when the Colonials pester opposing goalies with 40 or more shots.
Ostergard up for Hobey:
RMU senior goalie Brooks Ostergard has been tabbed as a nominee for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award and you can help him earn college hockey's top honor by voting between now and March 4 at HobeyBakerAward.com. The Hobey Baker Top Ten list of candidates will be released on March 15 while the Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be announced on March 29. The 32nd annual Hobey Baker Award will be announced on April 6 at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Frozen Four Comes to PA:
The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee has chosen the city of Pittsburgh as the site of the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four with Robert Morris University serving as the host institution in conjunction with VisitPittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. CONSOL Energy Center will host the historic event on April 11-13, 2013 with the event marking first NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship event held in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, it will be the first major team sport in NCAA history to conduct its national championship in the city of Pittsburgh. Continue checking RMUColonials.com for updates leading up to the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four.
Early Signings:
Earlier this year, RMU inked a pair of forwards for next year's freshman class in David Friedmann and Zac Lynch. Friedmann, a Toronto native, is currently skating with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the OJHL while Lynch, a Pittsburgh named as a player to watch for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by NHL Central Scouting, skates for the Bay State Breakers in the EJHL.
Pennsylvania Proud:
