PITTSBURGH -- When the Robert Morris University men's hockey team erupted for seven goals in a runaway win at Canisius 15 days ago, it was a long-awaited offensive breakthrough.

Unfortunately, in the five games since, the Colonials have fallen back into a frustrating offensive pattern, a trend epitomized in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Sacred Heart at the RMU Island Sports Center. For the third time in four games, RMU allowed exactly two non-empty-net goals, but couldn't garner an Atlantic Hockey standings point.

As a result, RMU will skate into its final off week of the season in ninth place, three points behind a surging Sacred Heart team that has now ripped off a 4-1-1 stretch in league play. Junior center Daniel Mantenuto's power-play goal with 3:55 left in the third gave RMU hope for overtime, but a final-second empty-netter by the Pioneers conjured memories of last weekend's unsavory results at Air Force.

"There's no quit in us," junior forward Michael Coyne said. "It just sucks coming up short again, after being in this slump for a while. We're trying to take all the positives we can from this."

The Colonials (9-18-1, 8-13-1 AHA) were forced to play from behind for the second time in as many days, with Sacred Heart (10-13-3, 9-9-2) netting one goal in the first period and another in the second. RMU has had a hard time getting the jump on foes at the Island this year, allowing the first goal 10 times in their 15 home games to date.

And, with the team struggling to finish its chances during its current five-game slump, the past couple of weeks have taken on a repetitive, uphill character.

"It feels like Groundhog Day," head coach Derek Schooley said, with more than a hint of irony. "Same frustration as last weekend. Same score. Same chances, just couldn't convert. I don't think anybody's about moral victories right now. ... We're just having trouble putting pucks in the net. That's frustrating, because we do have the talent to be able to score."



Junior goalie Francis Marotte remains stuck on 43 career victories -- tied with the Class of 2016's Terry Shafer for the most in program history -- although he was once again plenty good enough to give the Colonials a chance to win. His breakaway save on Marcel Godbout late in the second kept the door open against a Sacred Heart squad that threw 30-plus shots his way for the second straight game.

But at the same time, Marotte and the Colonials couldn't catch a break when needed. Sacred Heart's first goal, at 13:38 of the first, was actually a pass from Marc Johnstone that clanged off the skate of RMU's Alex Tonge before bouncing into the net off the Pioneers' Jordan Kaplan.

Sacred Heart raised the lead to two just after RMU's second power play expired, taking advantage of an errant pass to break down the ice in a three-on-two rush. Austin Magera finished Zach De Concilys' goalmouth pass at 10:03 to put the Pioneers in the driver's seat.

"It just seems like every little thing, when you're going through a slump, ends up killing you," Schooley said. 

Included in that thought was a major penalty issued to freshman forward Justin Addamo for boarding in the late stages of the second. RMU's contention was that the icing whistle should've blown sooner, allowing Addamo to pull up, but the Colonials still killed the major regardless. Senior defenseman Eric Israel actually drew a penalty himself to cancel the final two minutes of the lengthy Sacred Heart advantage.

"We fought through it," Coyne said. "We had a little bit of adversity. It actually helped us there, I think."

Coyne's line was on the ice (with Brandon Watt and Grant Hebert) when RMU forced the Pioneers' Colin Bernard into a tripping minor at 14:50 of the third, keeping the home team alive. After the Colonials won several puck battles to keep the play alive in the attacking zone, senior Michael Louria set up Mantenuto for a backdoor tap-in that cut the deficit in half.

It'll take that kind of persistence to get RMU going after the off week, when it plays five consecutive games on the road. That stretch will begin with a two-game series at Holy Cross, which is just two points behind the Colonials after the weekend's action.

"Our bench is something we're really focusing on," Coyne said. "We're trying to be as positive as possible. Trying to encourage each other and reinforce the positive things. We have a really good bench. Can't complain about it."

In the meantime, the Colonials' focus will be on finding ways to create offense. Since that seven-goal bonanza in Buffalo, RMU has nine combined goals in its past five games.

"We've got to buckle up and be better," Schooley said. "We'll use this off week to work on scoring some goals."