Brian Mitchell Photo
NEVILLE TWP.,PA- The opportunity for an early season sweep was on the menu for the Robert Morris University Colonials as they hosted the Miami (OH) Redhawks on Saturday night at Clearview Arena. The Colonials made the most of it by slamming the door in the third period of one goal contest thanks to some key penalty killing and timely saves by freshman goalie Croix Kochendorfer and two empty net goals as Robert Morris took care of business with a 4-1 victory, their fifth consecutive all-time win against Miami.
Sophomore Walter Zacher netted his first career hat trick while line mates Cameron Garvey and Tanner Klimpke combined for five assists in the win as the Colonial top forward line carried the offense, helping propel Robert Morris to a 2-0-0 start on the 2024-2025 campaign. Robert Morris outshot Miami by a 33-26 margin and was a calm and collected force in the final frame to preserve the lead and extend it despite several penalty kills and some hectic moments in their own end as the Redhawks pressed for an equalizer.
“We played with the lead, we held a good team to one goal, got great penalty killing and found ways to win the hockey game.” Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley said.” We bent in the last minutes when the net was empty, Croix made some good saves and then we got Michal Craig’s first goal and Walter sauced one in for the hat trick. Good for those guys, they were good individually and we were good as a team.”
Zacher Shines Bright in Opening Weekend
Zacher came away with a goal on Thursday night in a 5-1 Robert Morris win at Miami and was determined to add to his total on Saturday night. Zacher lit the lamp first just 32 seconds after puck drop as he took a pass at the side of the net, skated around the top of the crease and beat starting Redhawk netminder Bruno Bruveris to put the Colonials in the lead early. It was a goal that held up for a over half the game as both sides utilized a tight, physical style of play, resisting to give up a potential game changing goal.
Zacher then lit the lamp at 13:05 of the second stanza when he finished off a furious goalmouth scramble by banging in a rebound to double the Robert Morris advantage. Zacher, who managed five tallies in 2023-2024 to go with 17 assists, is on pace to pump in even more pucks if the opening weekend is any indication, playing on a top line that has looked impressive thus far.
“He’s a goal scorer,” Schooley added. “And he didn’t score as many as he wanted to last year. Our top line makes things go. He had over 20 points last year and our top line with Klimpke, Garvey and him are just dynamic hockey players.”
Kochendorfer Stops 25 of 26 in Victory
Another element in the winning recipe was the goaltending of Kochendorfer who made several highlight reel saves and appeared confident and unfazed by the moment, showing no signs of feeling pressure en route to his second straight win and first home victory. He was the last line of defense, turning away a furious third period charge from the Redhawks, and combined with timely net front clears by his penalty killers, was a brick wall at the perfect time, stopping all 10 stops in the final frame to preserve the win.
“He was outstanding on Thursday and he was outstanding again tonight,” Schooley remarked. “We’ve now won five in a row against Miami and have had great goaltending from Brooks Ostergard and Eric Levine in those games along the way and now we can add Croix to that list.”
Next up for the Colonials will be their Atlantic Hockey opening weekend with a home and home series versus the Niagara Purple Eagles with a home game at Clearview Arena on Friday, October 25, and then on the road at Dwyer Arena on October 26.
