PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania-The American International College ice hockey team battled hard but fell 4-3 to the Robert Morris University Colonials in an Atlantic Hockey Conference matchup at 84 Lumber Arena.

AIC falls to 4-11-6 overall and 3-7-5 in AHC play, while RMU's record now stands at 13-6-3 with a 9-5-2 AHC mark.

The Colonials lit the lamp first, as a wraparound attempt by sophomore left wing Brandon Watt deflected from the right side of the net to the left, where a waiting freshman right wing Luke Lynch stuffed his third goal of the year into an open side of the net at 9:06.

In the second, AIC snapped the shutout streak of RMU freshman Francis Marotte, as his classmate, left wing Joel Kocur, pushed home a rebound for his second of the year at 2:50 on a scramble in front.

However, the Colonials would regain the edge before the frame expired, as sophomore defenseman Eric Israel snapped home his second power play goal against AIC in as many games, netting his seventh of the year at 14:24. The hosts added to the lead less than two minutes later, as rookie left wing Matthew Graham threw a rebound into an open cage at 16:00 for his fourth of the year and a 3-1 RMU lead.

Determined to not go quietly into the intermission, freshman right wing Marin Mellberg dished the puck behind the net to Kocur, who in turn snapped a pass to rookie center Hugo Reinhardt, who was charging into the left circle. Reinhardt's rocket found the right side of the net at 19:45.3 to cut the deficit to 3-2; the tally was his third of the campaign.

Despite the momentum carrying over for AIC and eight of the first ten shots of the final period, it was the hosts scoring, as Graham potted his second of the game at 11:17 on a back-door tap-in from the right post.

With the sixth attacker on, AIC pulled within one, as a shot by sophomore defenseman Johnny Mueller deflected off of a Colonials defender and in for his fourth of the year at 17:45; freshman blueliner Nicolas Luka and Reinhardt earned assists on the tally. However, Marotte held the Jackets at bay the rest of the way for the 4-3 win.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Murray turned aside 23 RMU chances to fall to 2-5-2 on the year, while Marotte's 29 saves improved his mark to 11-3-2.
AIC returns to the MassMutual Center on Friday, January 13, when they host two-time defending conference champion RIT for the first of a two-game series at 7:05 p.m.