SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team dropped a 5-3 decision to Robert Morris University in Atlantic Hockey Conference action on Saturday, January 27.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: Robert Morris 5, AIC 3,
Records: AIC falls to 10-15-3 and 9-11-3 in conference play; Robert Morris is now 11-13-2 and 10-8-2 in Atlantic Hockey.
Where: MassMutual Center

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Dominik Florian (one goal, four shots on goal)
Blake Christensen (one goal, four shots on goal)
Jared Pike (one goal)
Dominic Racobaldo (four blocked shots)
Stefano Durante (31 saves)

Robert Morris:
Alex Tonge (two goals, one assist)
Timmy Moore (one goal, one assist, seven shots)
Michael Louria (one goal, two shots)
Daniel Mantenuto (one goal, two shots)
Brady Ferguson (three assists, four shots, +1)


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Yellow Jackets got on the board first at the 8:03 mark of the first period off a 5-on-3 goal from sophomore left wing Blake Christensen. Sophomore left wing Jared Pike scored a power-play goal on the ensuing 5-on-4 just 39 seconds later to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 cushion.
• With only 1:58 left to play in the first frame, the Colonials cut into the lead with a goal from Alex Tonge.
• Robert Morris held a 16-9 shot advantage over AIC in the first period.
• At the 3:58 mark of the second period, the Colonials tied up the contest with a goal from Daniel Mantenuto.
• It didn't take long for the Colonials to break the tie as Michael Louria's power-play goal just 54 seconds into the third period gave Robert Morris a 3-2 lead. Just 4:06 later, Robert Morris added to their lead with another power-play goal, this time from Timmy Moore.
• Down 4-2 with 13:18 remaining in regulation, AIC answered back with a goal from sophomore right wing Dominik Florian to make it 4-3 Robert Morris.
• After AIC pulled freshman goalie Stefano Durante with just 59 seconds left in the game, Tonge scored an empty netter and his second goal of the contest to give the Colonials a 5-3 victory.

BUZZWORTHY:

• With an assist on Christensen's power-play goal, freshman defenseman and Hobey Baker Award nominee Brennan Kapcheck pushed his team-leading assist total to 15; that total is already past the team-high assist total from the 2016-17 season and marks his 21^st point of the year, also a team best - and also the most among the league's freshmen.
• Christensen continues to lead the team after scoring his 11th goal of the year. He has scored in four consecutive games, and his 11 goals this year surpass the team leader in goal scoring for the 2016-17 season (Florian, who had 10 goals last season).
• Robert Morris held AIC to a season-low 16 shots on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets' previous lowest amount of shots this season was 19, also against Robert Morris on November 18.
• Durante's 31 stops in the contest marks the second-most saves he's recorded this season.

COACH'S CORNER:

• "We knew it was going to be tough," said AIC ice hockey head coach Eric Lang. "I said yesterday I think they're one of the best teams in the league I thought we played emotional, but we didn't play with intensity, and those two things are worlds apart - when you play with emotion and take some bad penalties, and I thought we took some bad penalties."
• "We expected them to be physical, it's who they are," Lang added. "They tried to push us around a little bit and to our guys' credit, we pushed back."

NEXT UP:

• AIC will have a two-game road trip out west in Colorado, as facing off with the Air Force Academy on February 2 and February 3. Puck drop for Friday's game is set for 9 p.m. Eastern Time, while Saturday's contest will begin at 7 p.m.
  

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow @AIC_Hockey on Twitter and Instagram, and like American International College Ice Hockey on Facebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow @AICAthletics on Twitter and Instagram, and like AIC Yellow Jackets on Facebook.