Box Score

The American International College men's ice hockey team (8-23-3, 6-18-3 AHA) defeated the Robert Morris Colonials (16-15-5, 13-9-5 AHA) by a final score of 7-5 to draw even in their first-round playoff series and force a decisive third game on Sunday.

Sophomore right wing Jon Puskar (Grosse Ile, MI) started the scoring just 0:42 into the game as he fired a long shot that found its way through the five hole of a stunned senior goalkeeper Brooks Ostergard (Chagrin Falls, OH). Senior left wing Michael Penny (Calgary, AB) and junior defenseman Jeff Ceccacci (Placentia, CA) were given the assists on Puskar's sixth tally of the season.

The Colonials would get the next two goals. Senior center Cody Crichton (Palgrave, ON) tied the score at 1-1 with his eighth of the year on a feed from junior right wing Adam Brace (Colbden, ON) and senior defenseman James Lyle (Nepean, ON) at the 4:38 mark. Then, just thirty-nine seconds later, junior right wing Zach Hervato (Stittsville, ON) scored to make it 2-1 RMU, with the lone assist going to senior left wing Ron Cramer (New Wilmington, PA).

Freshman left wing Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, AB) tied the game just thirty-eight seconds later, getting a great pass from junior right wing Nick Grasso (Smithtown, N.Y.) to spring him on a breakaway, firing a wrist shot high glove to tie the game 2-2. Ceccacci was also given an assist on the play. For MacMillan, it was the first goal of his collegiate career.

However, on a delayed penalty later in the period, Brace would net his fourteenth of the year to put the Colonials back in the lead, pushing his own rebound over the prone junior goalkeeper Ben Meisner (Halifax, N.S.) to make the score 3-2 at 14:30 of the first frame. Freshman center Cody Cartier (Sylvan Lake, AB) and senior left wing Trevor Lewis (Lititz, PA) were credited with the assists on the goal, which was scored with the extra attacker.

The second period was even more wild than the first. AIC tied the score at the 2:21 mark as freshman right wing Jason Popek (Hamilton, ON) buried a rebound to give him four goals on the season, with sophomore left wing Nick Sandor (Vancouver, B.C.) and freshman center Matt Cassidy (London, ON) getting the assists. Popek then set up Sandor with a great pass after drawing backup goalkeeper Eric Levine (Wheeling, IL) out of the net to give AIC a 4-3 lead at the 4:53 mark.

The Colonias would tie the game on a turnover in the slot, with freshman left wing Cody Wydo (Allen Park, MI) shooting one home at the 9:23 mark of the frame for his thirteenth tally of the season.

The Jackets would then score two more, with Penny blasting a shot past Levine that chased the backup, with Puskar and Arcibal getting the assists on Penny's sixth of the year at the 11:40 mark. Ceccacci then scored a beautiful power play goal with a heavy wrist shot that eluded Ostergard at 15:52 of the period. His fourth of the season was from Arcibal and junior right wing Adam Pleskach (Beausejour, Man.).

Robert Morris got a late goal at the 17:25 mark of the frame from sophomore defenseman Evan Renwick (Calgary, AB) who fired a shot high glove to cut the deficit to 6-5. The only assist on the goal was given to Cartier.

After nearly ten minutes of scoreless hockey to start the third, Puskar took a pass from junior center Steve Mele (Bronx, N.Y.) and fired it top corner glove side on Ostergard to make it 7-5. His second of the night was his seventh of the season. That was the final goal of the night, as AIC held the Colonials off the board in the third to earn the win, thanks largely to the great play of Meisner.

In goal for AIC, Meisner stopped 40 of 45 shots he faced to improve to 8-21-3 on the season with the win, while Ostergard stopped 23 of 28 shots he faced in the loss, falling to 10-11-4. Levine also played nine minutes and nineteen seconds, stopping five of the seven shots he faced but getting no decision.

The two teams will play tomorrow night at Clearview Arena at 7:05 PM to wrap up the series.