ERIE, Pa. — Robert Morris and Mercyhurst closed out their season series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Saturday night, with the Lakers defeating the Colonials, 3-2 in overtime on a deflection goal by Joshua Lammon.
Robert Powers scored with 1:12 left in regulation to send the tightly contested game into overtime. In a cruel twist of fate, the man that Powers was covering on the game-winning goal was Lammon.
“Rob Powers was both the hero and the goat,” Derek Schooley said. “The hero ties the game, but his guy beats him down low and tips the game winner in.”
The teams started out with the same high intensity hockey that’s been the normal for the two rivals, with the Colonials dominating the Lakers in shots throughout the first period.
Patrick Piacentini scored 1:29 into the second to give the Lakers their first lead of the game. The Colonials were the recipient of a great effort by Luke Lynch at 6:21 when the forward drove to the net with a Lakers defenseman draped on him, firing a shot that beat Mercyhurst starter Brandon Wildung.
Mercyhurst took the lead back with 2:20 in the second when Kane Elliot slipped a puck past Colonials starter Andrew Pikul.
Powers scored his second goal in the waning minute of the third period.
“It was a good pass by [Alex] Tonge, and I tried to get the puck through,” Powers said. “Luckily it went in.”
Pikul started the back half of the home-and-home in place of Francis Marotte and stopped 23 of the 26 shots that he faced. Wildung ended the contest stopping 37 of 39.
Mercyhurst earned the season split against Robert Morris after the Colonials swept a home-and-home on Dec. 1-2.
ATLANTIC HOCKEY SHUFFLE
Robert Morris’ current four game conference skid puts them in a peculiar position. The Colonials sit in sixth place in Atlantic Hockey, one point behind fifth-place Air Force and two points behind third-place Holy Cross. Tenth place Bentley is three points behind the Colonials heading into the final weekend. Air Force visits the Island Sports Center Feb. 23-24.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris finishes off the 2017-18 season at home against the Air Force Falcons, who defeated the Colonials 2-1 en route to the 2017 Atlantic Hockey Championship. Saturday is senior night, where the Colonials will celebrate the class of 2018 in a pre-game ceremony.
