PITTSBURGH — With the quick turnaround between games of the Three Rivers Classic tournament at PPG Paints Arena, the arena staff might want to think about replacing the panes of glass behind the nets, as Robert Morris and Ferris State practically wore them out in the Colonials’ 1-0 victory Thursday night.
The teams attempted 135 shots, but got just 68 to find the frame and only one to the back of the net — Daniel Leavens’ one-timer of a Brady Ferguson pass early in the second period.
The rest of the game was marred by two teams coming off long layoffs that had the legs to create offense, but seemed to lack the requisite hands to go along with them.
“I thought at times it was sloppy, but there was a lot of energy a lot of intensity and a lot of chances,” Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley said. “I wish we could have buried one or two more of our chances. I thought their goaltender played outstanding.”
Darrin Smith did stand tall in the Bulldogs’ goal, but just as often, the Colonials’ shots on odd-man rushes found those abused pieces of glass, or in the case of an Alex Tonge breakaway in the third period, the netting above.
“We had a lot of opportunities off the cycle and a few off the rush,” Leavens said. “Our line specifically had the breakaway by Tonge at the end. Nine times out of ten, that’s going in. Pucks weren’t going in as often for our line. I thought all four lines had lots of chances, we just need to start capitalizing on them.”
CLEAN SLATE
Marotte’s 32 saves represented his first career shutout, and much like the man himself, it was pretty understated. Rarely did he feel the need to make a flashy save, instead relying on solid positioning and his typically cool demeanor.
“He didn’t have to be unbelievably outstanding,” Schooley said. “He was solid. He made the saves he had to make and he mixed in a few big ones.”
The shutout completes the hat trick of rookie firsts for Marotte, who also played in his first game and earned his first win earlier this season. Marotte increased his lead as the nation’s most prolific goalkeeper, as his save percentage rose to 94.6 percent on the season — half a percent better than Michigan Tech’s Angus Redmond.
“It’s pretty nice. It’s a good feeling,” he said. “Like coach said, it was a team effort. It feels good. It would feel even better to get the win tomorrow.”
HOLIDAY TURNOVERS
Another symptom of the post-break malaise was a larger than usual number of turnovers for both teams. The lone RMU goal came after Ferguson pounced on a botched outlet pass and fed Leavens.
“There’s going to be a lot of turnovers,” Schooley said. “Teams aren’t going to be as sharp because you’ve only practiced a couple times. We wanted to capitalize on their turnovers and we wanted to limit ours. I thought as we started to get tired, we started turning the puck over more.”
The tired legs coincided with a 14-7 shot advantage for Ferris State in the third period. The Colonials outshot the Bulldogs, 36-32, overall.
CLASSIC MATCHUP
Robert Morris will face Quinnipiac in the finals on Friday as the Colonials look to win their third Confluence Cup and second straight title.
That game will follow the consolation match between Ferris State and Boston College, which will face off at 4:30.
NOTES
Schooley had said before the game that he had a fully healthy roster for the first time all season, but that lasted only about a half a game as forward Jacob Coleman left after the first period and did not return. Coleman’s status for the final is unclear. … Brandon Watt played for the first time since Oct. 29. He was even with two shots and two blocks.
