WEST POINT, N.Y. – Robert Morris scored three goals in the first period and came away with a 5-2 win over the Army hockey team on Saturday night at Tate Rink.
Army (1-6-3, 0-5-2 AHA) saw Clint Carlisle and Nick DeCenzo score goals, while Trevor Fidler and Conor Andrle added assists. Parker Gahagen got the start and made 16 saves in the first period. Cole Bruns relieved Gahagen in the second period and posted 19 saves in 40 minutes of action.
The Colonials (5-2-3, 4-1-3 AHA) got three points from Brady Ferguson with a goal and two assists. Daniel Leavens added a goal and an assist in the win. Terry Shafer stopped 31 shots to earn the victory.
“The difference tonight was our start,” head coach Brian Riley said. “It was not good. We got beat in every part of the game and we got outworked the first 20 minutes, which was disappointing. You put yourself behind with three goals in the first period and that is a tough mountain to climb.”
Robert Morris jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period with goals from Leavens, Brandon Denham and Ben Robillard. Leavens got the scoring started with his sixth of the season with a feed from Gibson behind the net. He found the net from the slot. Denham’s goal came on the power play under the 12 minute mark to give the Colonials a 2-0 advantage. Robillard added to the lead with 40 seconds left in the frame. Ferguson fired a shot off of Gahagen’s pad and Robillard was there for the rebound at the opposite post and Robert Morris had a three-goal lead after 20 minutes.
The Colonials added to their lead at the 17:38 mark of the middle frame with Ferguson tallying his sixth goal of the season. The tally came on the power play with assists to Denham and Eric Israel.
The Black Knights got on the board with 8:11 remaining in the second with Carlisle knocking down a rebound in front and into the back of the net. Fidler picked up a loose puck in the slot and put it on net and Shafer made the stop, but Carlisle found the rebound.
Army climbed back in the game with another power play goal with 4:25 remaining in the game. DeCenzo beat Shafer into the upper right corner on a wrist shot from the high slot. Andrle was given the assist on the play as he fed the puck to DeCenzo at the blueline. Zac Lynch clinched the victory for the Colonials with his seventh of the year on an empty netter with 1:41 left to earn the 5-2 win.
The Colonials outshot the Black Knights, 40-33, and both teams scored two goals on the power play.
Army returns to the ice next weekend with a visit to Canisius for two games.
Ice Shavings: This was the 15th meeting all-time between Army and Robert Morris … the Colonials were receiving votes in the USCHO.com National Poll this week … Gahagen started in net for the seventh time this season and 42nd time in his career … Army had rookies on all four lines and Nash Worden was the lone first-year defenseman in the lineup … Carlisle scored his third goal of the season … Fidler recorded his fourth assist of the year, which is second on the team … DeCenzo tallied his second of the year.
