Photo Courtesy of RMU Athletics/Kylee Surike
NEVILLE TWP.,PA- The weekend series closer between the Robert Morris University Colonials and Lindenwood University Lions was another nip and tuck affair. Saturday night’s contest saw another strong performance from the Lions who dominated the first half of game, while the Colonials came on strong towards the end as they rallied back from a 2-0 deficit en route to a 3-2 shootout overtime win thanks to a McKay Hayes tally in the final round. The result will officially score as a tie for both teams in terms of standings, but for the Colonials, it marked the fifth time in six games where it didn’t wind up in the loss column as they ran their record to a solid 3-1-2 mark.
Freshman forward Patrick Johnson scored his second goal in as many games to cut a 2-0 deficit in half late in the second stanza, and sophomore defenseman Luke van Why tied things up during a critical five minute man advantage in the third period. In the Colonial net, junior transfer Dylan Meilun saw his first action of the season and turned in a solid performance, stopping 37 of 39 shots he faced.
“It was good for us to try to find a way to get the job done,” Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley said. “We’ve got one game in the loss column and that’s good for our group and good for our team. We just need to make sure that we play for 60 minutes and that’s a good Lindenwood team, they’re going to win some hockey games.”
Lions Roar at the Start Once Again
The Lions came out with another determined effort as they tilted the ice in the Colonial end just as they did on Friday, amassing a 16-4 shot advantage in the process. The Colonial attack sputtered as the middle of the ice was clogged with Lions who thwarted one potential attack after another over their blue line while at the other end of the rink, they kept their opponent bottled up for entire shifts on occasion. The strategy worked as Brody Mortensen got Lindenwood on the board at 16:15 of the opening frame on what looked to be a deflection that made its way past Meilun.
The Lions kept the foot on the gas pedal so to speak, starting the second frame with Jack Anderson putting home a second goal at 4:02 during a Lindenwood power play.
“They reloaded over the top of us,” Schooley remarked. “They were hard over us and they made sure that we had to come 200 feet and they made it hard for us at times to do that.”
Colonials Resilience Comes Through
Robert Morris would not lose sight of a positive result though as they found ways to generate some offensive pressure and scoring chances with Johnson carving the lead in half at 8:07 of the second period, putting a hard, rising shot past starting Lion goaltender Alexandros Aslanidis at even strength. The Colonials stayed focused and took advantage of a major penalty halfway through the third period when van Why sent a shot from the point through traffic to tie it up at two goals apiece at the 11:06. Down the stretch, Meilun made crucial saves to keep the game tied until the three on three overtime period began where the Colonials were stymied by Aslanidis who made a pair of highlight reel saves to keep the game tied. In the shootout, Hayes put the moves on Aslanidis for the eventual shootout winner.
“It’s a young team that’s finding a bit of maturity,” Schooley said of his team’s recent efforts. “Dylan Meilun was unbelievable. That’s what we brought him here for from Stonehill. He was outstanding. He kept it close when we were not playing very well.”
No Rest for the Weary
The Colonials, in the middle of a three game s in four day stretch, will take a day off on Sunday, then travel to Erie, PA to take on Mercyhurst in an important Atlantic Hockey battle for their third conference game of the season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.
