AIC YELLOW JACKETS (3-14-5, 3-8-5 AHC)
vs.
ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (13-5-4, 10-3-3 AHC)
Friday, January 16, 7:05 p.m. | Saturday, January 17, 7:05 p.m.
84 Lumber Arena, 7600 Grand Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats|Video|AIC Roster|Robert MorrisRoster
LEADERS:
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL:
Goals:Austin Orszulak15,Alexander MacMillan9,Johno May/Matt Cassidy4
Assists:Alexander MacMillan13, Johno May 12,Chris Porter11
Points:Alexander MacMillan22,Austin Orszulak22,Johno May16
Goalkeepers:Alex Murray: 2-9-4, 3.37 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO
Hunter Leisner: 1-5-1, 4.60 GAA, .886 SV%, 0 SO
Special Teams: PP 11/60 (18.3%) | PK 51/67 (76.1%)
ROBERT MORRIS:
Goals:Cody Wydo 11, David Friedmann 9, Three Tied with 8
Assists:Cody Wydo 15, Daniel Leavens 14, Brandon Denham 10
Points:Cody Wydo 26, Daniel Leavens 19, Brady Ferguson/Zac Lynch 18
Goalkeepers:Terry Shafer: 6-2-3, 2.05 GAA, .928 SV%, 1 SO
Dalton Izyk: 7-3-0, 2.59 GAA, .928 SV%, 3 SO
Special Teams: PP 18/93 (19.4%) | PK 76/88 (86.4%)
PITTSBURGH, Pa.-The American International College hockey team is in the Steel City as they prepare to take on the Robert Morris Colonials for the second set of matches this season, this time at RMU's 84 Lumber Arena.
LAST TIME OUT: AIC went 0-1-1 on the weekend at RIT, with a 3-3 draw and a 3-2 loss at the new Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester. In Friday's contest, AIC overcame three different one-goal deficits thanks to tallies by senior right wing Jason Popek (Hamilton, Ont.) in the first, senior center Matt Cassidy (London, Ont.) in the second, and then, with 6.8 seconds left in the third, sophomore left wing Austin Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.). Those goals, backed by 43 saves by rookie goalkeeper Alex Murray (Burlington, Ont.), earned AIC a point. However, the team could not overcome a slow start, allowing two goals in the first 2:06 of Saturday's game, and even after Orszulak stymied the bleeding with his nation-best 15th of the campaign, AIC could never equalize; the Tigers scored in the middle of the second and it turned out to be the game winner, with Cassidy adding a second goal in the late stages of the third frame; Murray made 37 saves in the loss, giving him a total of 80 on the weekend. Rookie forward Johno May (Mahtomedi, Minn.) had three helpers on the weekend. AIC heads to Robert Morris next to close out a four-game road swing.
The Colonials played the Bentley Falcons, and the two best offenses in Atlantic Hockey were both stymied until the final five minutes of both contests in Pittsburgh, as RMU broke a 0-0 deadlock on Friday in the last stretch of the game to win 3-0, but Bentley returned the favor the following night to win 1-0 and earn a split. Sophomore goalkeeper Dalton Izyk (Oswego, N.Y.) had a 34-save shutout in the win for the Colonials, earning AHC Goalkeeper of the Week honors for his efforts.
LAST TIME THEY MET: AIC returned to the Olympia and to the AHC with a weekend series on November 21-22 and went 0-1-1, tying 5-5 in the Friday night game and falling 6-0 on Saturday. In the draw, AIC saw multi-point efforts from freshman defenseman Andrew DeBrincat (Farmington Hills, Mich.) with three assists, Orszulak with a goal and an assist, junior left wing Chris Porter (Stouffville, Ont.) with a pair of assists, and two goals and an assist from senior center Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.). However, despite leads of 2-1, 3-2, and 5-3, the then-20th ranked Colonials were able to come back, tying the game 5-5 by blasting 20 of their 52 shots on Murray in the third; Murray also stopped six shots in overtime. That momentum carried into the next game, where the Colonials scored three in the second en route to their 6-0 win.
HOBEY BAKER NOMINEES: Both sides have players up for the Hobey Baker Award. Orszulak and MacMillan are in the running from AIC, while Robert Morris senior forward Cody Wydo (Southgate, Mich.) is the Colonials' lone nominee. To vote on the Hobey Baker Award, click here.
BAND ON THE RUN: There will be a band at Friday's game, but it will not the band of either school in the game. Prior to the AIC-RMU men's game, the women of RMU host Quinnipiac, and the Bobcats have brought their band along; they have agreed to play the AIC-RMU game so that RMU's band is free to play at the Colonials' men's basketball game occurring at the same time.
COWBOY UP: While the state of Texas is not traditionally seen as a hockey hotbed, eight players between the two teams played junior hockey there, including a native son on each side. For AIC, sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Leisner (Garland, Texas) is a local, and he played for the Texas Tornado, along with senior left wing Nathan Sliwinski (Castle Rock, Colo.), while junior defenseman Brandon Lubin (Commerce Township, Mich.) played for the Amarillo Bulls. RMU features four former Bulls-sophomore defenseman John Rey (Turnersville, N.J.), junior forward Greg Gibson (Burlington, Ont.), freshman forward Timmy Moore, and freshman forward Brady Ferguson (Lewisville, Texas). Pittsburgh native and senior center David Rigatti was a member of the Tornado and Sliwinski's teammate.
HELPING OUT: The Colonials are second in the AHC in assists per game at 5.86 (129 assists in 22 games played), while AIC is fourth at 4.59 (101 assists in 22 games played). However, Robert Morris does lead the league in unassisted goals with six.
TOP OF THE WORLD: No one-in Atlantic Hockey or in any of the five other NCAA Division I hockey conferences-has more goals this season than Orszulak. His 15 goals are tied for first in the country and set him alone in the league's rankings.
UP NEXT: AIC has six consecutive home games coming up, starting with a pair against the Air Force Falcons on January 23 and 24 at 7:05 p.m.
