Veteran sportswriter, member of the WDVE Morning Show and hockey aficionado Mike Prisuta has been covering the Pittsburgh sports scene for over 20 years. He has covered Pittsburgh sports as a reporter for the Beaver County Times and as a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and has had his pulse on the happenings of each of the professional organizations and college programs in the area. A graduate of Michigan State University, Prisuta got his start in the profession covering the Spartan hockey program and possesses knowledge of the college hockey world unmatched in the region.
Throughout the 2011-12 season, Prisuta will serve up weekly stories surrounding Colonial hockey as well as the latest notes and news around college hockey.
Prisuta on Pucks: Lessons Learned At Air Force
Derek Schooley liked some of the things his Colonials did in Robert Morris' Atlantic Hockey Association opener at Air Force, but not enough of them. And what was lacking ultimately proved decisive, in Schooley's estimation, in what became a 4-2 loss last Sunday.
Air Force wasn't able to put the game away until an empty-net goal at 19:30 of the third period. But it was what had taken place over the majority of the previous 59:30 that Schooley found as unrecognizable as he did unacceptable.
"I was a little disappointed in our compete level and our battle level," Schooley said. "I thought Air Force had a better battle level and won all the 1-on-1s in the tough areas. Air Force got the pucks for rebounds, the pucks in front of the net. Air Force won most of the individual battles.
"It's a credit to our guys that we could stay close when the game was so one-sided in the 1-on-1 battles. I give our guys credit for not having our 'A' game and still being in a position to tie it late. But Air force played that game as if it wasn't going to be denied and that's the way we need to play, especially on the road."
Goaltender Brooks Ostergard helped to keep RMU in the game despite the Colonials being outshot, 35-20. And the penalty-killing units snuffed all five Air Force power plays, which also helped to keep the game from getting away.
But the Falcons also never trailed. And Robert Morris' trademark competitiveness wasn't a factor.
"We worked hard and we skated well but we didn't win the battles we needed to win," Schooley said.
Perhaps the long trip to Colorado Springs had something to do with that. Or maybe it was playing a single game on a Sunday as opposed to a more traditional Friday-Saturday two-game series that had the Colonials off their feed.
Whatever, Schooley was more interested in preventing a repeat than he was identifying the root of such an uncharacteristic effort. Practices this week were structured accordingly.
"Colonial Hockey is playing hard and winning the battles," Schooley said. "So we'll work 1-on-1 out of the corner, 2-on-2 out of the corner. We'll see who gets to the net and who stops them. Whoever wins the battles will play this weekend.
"We need to make sure (Air Force) was a one-time thing. We need to make sure that's not the way this team wants to play. Every team and every group of guys is different every year; sometimes you have to instill it.
"I've been very pleased with practice. We'll need to carry that over to this weekend's games."
This weekend's games are against Quinnipiac of the ECAC (7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Island Sports Center), RMU's first home appearances of the new season.
The Bobcats come in at 5-1-0 overall, having split at Ohio State of the CCHA and having defeated AHA members Holy Cross, Canisius (twice) and Bentley, all at home, and having outscored their opponents, 27-10. Robert Morris is 1-2-0 overall.
"We've got a big challenge this weekend," Schooley said. "We have to be ready at the drop of the puck."
