By Mike Prisuta
www.rmucolonials.com
Nov. 13, 2009
Prisuta On Pucks Link
Pittsburgh, Pa. - If Bemidji State is perceived as the standard in College Hockey America this season, Robert Morris University understands why after getting a first-hand look at the surging Beavers.
“They play a puck-pressure game and they were on us,” RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. “They pushed the pace of the game.
“That's a very good hockey team. I see why they're undefeated and ranked as high as they are.”
Bemidji (7-0-1 overall, 4-0-0 CHA) climbed to No. 7 in this week's USCHO.com Top 20 following a 2-0, 6-1 sweep of Robert Morris (2-6-0, 0-2-0) on Nov. 6 and 7 in Bemidji, Minn.
The Friday encounter was scoreless until the 8:23 mark of the third period and concluded with an empty-net goal.
Saturday's final score was made less than respectable after Bemidji netted a pair of goals in the final three minutes.
“It's frustrating in that we played in spurts, but we didn't play for 60 minutes,” Schooley said. “When you only play for 50 minutes out of 120, you'll get two losses.”
The teams had met five times over Robert Morris' previous 16 games dating back to last Feb. 14 prior to their most recent encounter.
The Colonials had gone 2-2-1 in those games, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the CHA Tournament championship game at Bemidji with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake.
The Beavers have apparently picked up this season where they left off after last season's historic run to the Frozen Four.
“They've taken the momentum and carried it over,” Schooley said.
Robert Morris will have four more shots at Bemidji before this season's CHA Tournament.
A more pressing concern is an upcoming home-and-home series with Niagara (7:05 p.m. Friday at Niagara, 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the island Sports Center).
RMU's 2-6 overall record includes four losses to teams currently ranked in the Top 20, two against Bemidji, one against No. 9 Alaska and one against No. 20 Quinnipiac Robert Morris has also defeated Quinnipiac, the Bobcats' only loss this season.
“I see progress, I see where we're going,” Schooley said. “This is going to make us better in long run playing these high-level teams.”
Niagara can no doubt appreciate the degree of difficulty. The Purple Eagles have dropped seven games in a row after a season-opening tie with Colgate, with six of the losses coming on the road and four against current Top 20 teams (one to No. 3 Cornell in overtime, one to No. 6 Michigan by a 3-2 count and two to No. 14 Massachusetts).
“They're a good hockey team,” Schooley said. “Don't look at their record (0-7-1, 0-0-0), look at how the games have gone. They're probably scratching their heads wondering when they're going to get one.
“This will be a weekend of two evenly-matched teams. It's going to be a challenging weekend.”
The Niagara games are No. 3 and No. 4 of Robert Morris' 18-game CHA schedule, one that fosters familiarity, competition and, at times, contempt.
“I'm sure there are numbers taken; people don't forget,” RMU junior forward Chris Kushneriuk said.
With six games against fellow CHA members Bemidji, Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville, there are ample opportunities to settle individual scores.
Kushneriuk appreciates that aspect of playing in a four-team association, but has a more pressing agenda in mind for the Colonials' conference schedule.
“We have to build momentum and not save it all for the second half of the season,” he said. “We know we're capable of doing that.”
