NEVILLE TWP., PA — Robert Morris dropped the series opener 5-1 to Lindenwood on Friday night at the RMU Island Sports Center. With the regulation loss, the Colonials fell to sixth in the conference, three points behind the Lions in the Atlantic Hockey standings with a game to go on Saturday to decide where the ‘play-in’ game will be.
It’s pretty simple: if the Colonials win on Senior Day in regulation Robert Morris will face RIT in the opening game at the Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta at 3:05pm on Saturday, February 22. Any other result: a date with the Syracuse Orange at the Tennity Ice Pavilion in Syracuse that same day, time TBD. More about that later.
This wasn’t the standard 5-1 loss that has plagued the Colonials in the past. While the ever-so-common mistakes led to goals for the visiting Lions, Robert Morris seemed to coalesce into more of a team effort today, outshooting the Lions throughout as well as controlling the play and the face-off dot. The passes were cleaner, and there were signs of a team that may be putting it together as the season winds into playoff mode. Emma Goding’s goal was a laser beam on the power-play, set up by the continuation of an effort that was working a deep cycle for a five-minute major earlier in the contest. The younger members of the squad showed up on the scorecard as Goding led the team with five shots, followed by Mya Kearns (four; tied with Jersey Phillips), Catronia Crarer and Laura Eustace had three apiece. Only three players didn’t register a shot in the contest – two defenders and starter Maggie Hatch.
Lindenwood received two goals from Morgan Neitzke as well as a tally each from Sydney Rarick, Zsofia Pazmandi and Silje Gundersen.
Hatch stopped 20-of-25, while Anna Larose stopped 30-of-31 for the Lions.
POSTSEASON
The 2025 Atlantic Hockey America postseason has a few wrinkles as the host teams are already decided: Penn State holds home ice advantage as the No. 1 seed, Mercyhurst is No. 2, Syracuse is No. 3 and RIT is No. 4. The Orange and Tigers host one of the remaining Colonials or Lions, pending the outcome of the contest tomorrow.
Robert Morris currently trails Lindenwood by three points. Because of a Regulation and Overtime win in St. Louis on January 10 & 11, the Colonials hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Lions. The Colonials would need all three points for a regulation victory to tie Lindenwood and would take the No. 5 seed.
Why is this important?
Robert Morris’ season has been a turbulent one, but there are two conference teams that the Colonials have had success against this year: RIT and Lindenwood. Robert Morris owns a shootout and overtime win against RIT while dropping two regulation games against the Tigers 5-1 and 2-0.
The Syracuse Orange have three 4-1 and one 5-1 victory over the Colonials, sweeping the regular season series. The Orange, however, have been the team that Robert Morris has been able to get the puck on net throughout the series – the Colonials outshooting the Orange in three of four contests.
There’s always a chance, especially in the next evolution of College Hockey America, where upsets were rampant through the history of the conference.
SENIOR CLASS
The Colonials celebrate the class of 2025 at the Island on Saturday as six players will be honored pregame: graduate forwards Veronica Bac & Maddy Coene, two-year graduate forwards Mya Neugent and Jersey Phillips, Senior Madison Primeau and the final remaining player from the pre-shutdown Robert Morris squad, defender Allyson Hebert.
UP NEXT
The Colonials host the Lions in the regular season finale at the RMU Island Sports Center on Saturday. Face-off is scheduled for noon from Clearview Arena.
