2020–21 Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey season

2020–21 Robert Morris Colonials
men's ice hockey season
2020–21 Robert Morris Colonials; men's ice hockey season
Conference	3rd Atlantic Hockey
Home ice	Clearview Arena
Rankings
USCHO.com	NR
USA Today/; US Hockey Magazine	NR
Record
Overall	15–9–0
Conference	10–5–0–2–1–0
Home	11–4–0
Road	4–5–0
Neutral	0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Derek Schooley
Assistant coaches	Mike Corbett; Ryan Durocher
Captain(s)	Nick Jenny; Nick Prkusic
Alternate captain(s)	Brendon Michaelian; Aidan Spellacy
	Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey seasons; « 2019–20 2023–24 »

The 2020–21 Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey season was the 17th season of play for the program and the 11th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Colonials represented Robert Morris University and were coached by Derek Schooley, in his 17th season.

Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Canisius' players would lose a season of play.^[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.^[2]

Robert Morris began the season well and continued their strong play for most of the year. The team was buoyed by the addition of two freshman, Randy Hernández and Noah West, who made major contributions to the offense and defense respectively. By mid-January RMU found themselves ranked in the top 20 with an 11–3 record and a chance to make the NCAA Tournament without having to win their conference tournament, a rarity for Atlantic Hockey. Unfortunately, the team was hit by several COVID cancellations and ended up losing 4 of their final 7 games entering the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. It was still possible for the Colonials to make the tournament without an Atlantic Hockey Championship, but any chance the team had was washed away when the offense faltered against Niagara and the team was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

On May 26, 2021, it was announced that Robert Morris University would be ending both its men and women's varsity hockey programs, effective immediately.^[3]

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Jake Coleman	Forward	United States	Graduation
Mike Coyne	Forward	United States	Graduation
Sean Giles	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Knoxville Ice Bears)
Aidan Girduckis	Defenseman	Canada	Transferred to Chatham
Kip Hoffmann	Forward	United States	Transferred to Illinois
Justin Kapelmaster	Goaltender	United States	Graduation (Signed with Allen Americans)
Luke Lynch	Forward	United States	Graduation (Signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Daniel Mantenuto	Forward	Canada	Graduation (Signed with Asiago Hockey 1935)
Alexander Robert	Defenseman	United States	Graduation

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Matthew Guerra	Forward	United States	21	Sanford, FL
Gavin Gulash	Forward	United States	21	Red Bank, NJ
Kyler Head	Forward	United States	21	Malone, NY
Randy Hernández	Forward	Canada	21	Miami, FL
Matt Hutton	Forward	United States	21	Carmel, IN
Brian Kramer	Defenseman	United States	20	Wexford, PA
David Lafrance	Defenseman	Canada	19	Ottawa, ON; returned to juniors (Rockland Nationals)
Jordan Timmons	Forward	United States	21	Bridgeville, PA; transfer from Connecticut
Noah West	Goaltender	United States	19	Pittsboro, IN

Roster

As of December 31, 2020.^[4]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2	Brendon Michaelian	Junior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	1997-12-07	Wixom, Michigan	Amarillo (NAHL)	—
3	Nolan Schaeffer	Junior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1997-07-15	Marshall, Minnesota	Fairbanks (NAHL)	—
4	Tyler Love	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2000-03-16	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	Corpus Christi (NAHL)	—
5	David Lafrance	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2001-05-17	Ottawa, Ontario	Rockland (CCHL)	—
6	Darcy Walsh	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1999-02-06	Gloucester, Ontario	Ottawa (CCHL)	—
7	Nick Jenny	Senior	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1996-06-23	Strongsville, Ohio	Aberdeen (NAHL)	—
8	Aidan Spellacy	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-06-13	Lakewood, Ohio	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
9	Jordan Timmons	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1998-10-25	Bridgeville, Pennsylvania	Connecticut (HEA)	—
10	Nick Lalonde	Junior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-01-30	Brooklin, Ontario	Ottawa (CCHL)	—
11	Brian Kramer	Freshman	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	2000-07-20	Wexford, Pennsylvania	Fargo (USHL)	—
12	Garrett Clegg	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-01-13	St. Albert, Alberta	Sherwood Park (AJHL)	—
14	Grant Hebert	Junior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1997-05-22	St. Andrews West, Ontario	Fargo (USHL)	—
15	Roman Kraemer	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1998-01-09	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Johnstown (NAHL)	—
16	Nick Prkusic (C)	Senior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1996-11-10	St. Albert, Alberta	Brooks (AJHL)	—
17	Aiden Beck	Junior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-08-28	Coraopolis, Pennsylvania	Springfield (NAHL)	—
18	Gavin Gulash	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1999-01-11	Red Bank, New Jersey	New Jersey (NAHL)	—
19	Randy Hernandez	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	1999-01-12	Miami, Florida	Brooks (AJHL)	—
20	Cameron Hebert	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1999-03-17	St. Andrews West, Ontario	Johnstown (NAHL)	—
21	Justin Addamo	Junior	F	6' 6" (1.98 m)	227 lb (103 kg)	1998-05-27	Clermont-Ferrand, France	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
22	Matthew Guerra	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	1999-05-21	Sanford, Florida	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
23	Geoff Lawson	Junior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1997-05-15	Metcalfe, Ontario	Wellington (OJHL)	—
24	Kyler Head	Freshman	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1999-07-13	Malone, New York	New Jersey (NAHL)	—
25	Bradley Stonnell	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1998-07-22	Surrey, British Columbia	Drumheller (AJHL)	—
26	Santeri Hartikainen	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1999-01-05	Helsinki, Finland	Corpus Christi (NAHL)	—
27	Matt Hutton	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1999-04-01	Carmel, Indiana	Shreveport (NAHL)	—
30	Reid Cooper	Junior	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-07-01	Corman Park, Saskatchewan	Salmon Arm (BCHL)	—
31	Noah West	Freshman	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-11-25	Pittsboro, Indiana	Jamestown (NAHL)	—
35	Dyllan Lubbesmeyer	Senior	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1996-12-06	Burnsville, Minnesota	Shreveport (NAHL)	—
44	Quinn Warmuth	Sophomore	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1999-09-22	Olmsted Falls, Ohio	Johnstown (NAHL)	—

Standings

2020–21 Atlantic Hockey Standings v t e
	Conference record											Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OW	OL	SW	PTS	PT%	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#15 American International †*	12	11	1	0	1	0	0	32	.889	47	18	19	15	4	0	67	40
Army	15	10	4	1	3	1	1	30	.667	42	33	22	15	6	1	71	48
Robert Morris	15	10	5	0	2	1	0	29	.644	58	48	24	15	9	0	85	69
Canisius	13	8	5	0	1	1	0	24	.615	42	34	17	11	6	0	59	46
RIT	13	7	5	1	0	0	1	23	.590	43	40	20	9	9	2	68	70
Sacred Heart	13	6	6	1	1	2	0	20	.513	35	38	18	6	10	2	43	59
Mercyhurst	16	7	8	1	1	1	1	23	.479	54	50	21	8	12	1	64	67
Bentley	15	4	11	0	1	5	0	16	.356	35	48	16	5	11	0	42	51
Niagara	15	3	9	3	0	2	1	15	.333	39	53	22	7	12	3	57	70
Air Force	13	3	9	1	2	1	0	9	.231	32	49	14	3	10	1	35	56
Holy Cross	12	3	9	0	2	0	0	7	.194	22	38	16	4	12	0	30	52
Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Regular Season
November 21	7:05 PM	vs. Alabama–Huntsville*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	W 5–2	0	1–0–0
November 22	4:05 PM	vs. Alabama–Huntsville*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Cooper	W 4–3	0	2–0–0
November 27	5:05 PM	vs. Canisius		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	West	L 2–5	0	2–1–0 (0–1–0)
November 28	4:05 PM	vs. Canisius		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	W 5–4	0	3–1–0 (1–1–0)
December 1	7:00 PM	vs. #18 Bowling Green*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	L 3–6	0	3–2–0
December 4	9:05 PM	at Air Force		Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado	West	W 4–1	0	4–2–0 (2–1–0)
December 5	6:05 PM	at Air Force		Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado	West	W 4–2	0	5–2–0 (3–1–0)
December 29	3:07 PM	at #7 Bowling Green*		Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio	West	L 1–2	0	5–3–0
December 31	2:00 PM	at Niagara		Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York	West	W 6–1	0	6–3–0 (4–1–0)
January 2	7:30 PM	vs. RIT		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	West	W 3–1	0	7–3–0 (5–1–0)
January 3	4:00 PM	vs. RIT		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	West	W 4–3	0	8–3–0 (6–1–0)
January 7	5:00 PM	at Niagara	#20	Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York	West	W 3–2 ^OT	0	9–3–0 (7–1–0)
January 9	7:35 PM	vs. Niagara	#20	Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	W 5–4 ^OT	0	10–3–0 (8–1–0)
January 10	4:00 PM	vs. Niagara	#20	Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	West	W 6–2	0	11–3–0 (9–1–0)
January 19	4:30 PM	at Mercyhurst	#17	Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania	West	L 2–3 ^OT	127	11–4–0 (9–2–0)
January 20	4:35 PM	at Mercyhurst	#17	Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	L 5–7	75	11–5–0 (9–3–0)
January 30	7:30 PM	vs. Mercyhurst		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	W 5–3	0	12–5–0 (10–3–0)
February 4	7:30 PM	vs. Long Island*	#19	Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	Lubbesmeyer	W 4–1	0	13–5–0
February 5	3:00 PM	vs. Long Island*	#19	Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania	West	W 4–0	0	14–5–0
February 20	7:05 PM	at RIT	#19	Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York	West	L 1–6	0	14–6–0 (10–4–0)
February 21	5:00 PM	at RIT	#19	Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York	West	L 3–4	0	14–7–0 (10–5–0)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 12	7:00 PM	vs. Niagara*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania (Quarterfinal Game 1)	West	W 3–2 ^OT	0	15–7–0
March 13	7:05 PM	vs. Niagara*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania (Quarterfinal Game 2)	West	L 2–3 ^2OT	0	15–8–0
March 14	7:05 PM	vs. Niagara*		Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania (Quarterfinal Game 3)	West	L 1–2	0	15–9–0
Robert Morris Lost Series 1–2
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

^[5]

Scoring Statistics

Name	Position	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
Randy Hernández	RW	24	11	14	25	2
Nick Prkusic	F	24	7	18	25	12
Grant Hebert	C	24	8	15	23	18
Nick Jenny	D	24	6	13	19	4
Justin Addamo	RW	21	8	7	15	53
Brendan Michaelian	D	24	4	11	15	8
Santeri Hartikainen	C/RW	21	5	9	14	6
Nick Lalonde	RW	24	6	7	13	6
Brian Kramer	D	22	0	12	12	32
Jordan Timmons	F	13	9	2	11	4
Aidan Spellacy	F	24	5	6	11	6
Matthew Guerra	F	16	3	4	7	12
Nolan Schaeffer	D	24	2	5	7	12
Cameron Hebert	RW	15	3	3	6	6
Kyler Head	F	23	2	4	6	17
Gavin Gulash	F	22	1	4	5	12
David Lafrance	D	14	1	3	4	0
Tyler Love	RW	24	0	4	4	4
Roman Kraemer	F	22	2	1	3	6
Geoff Lawson	D	15	0	3	3	4
Darcy Walsh	C	15	2	0	2	19
Bradley Stonnell	D	6	0	2	2	0
Garrett Clegg	RW	10	0	2	2	19
Reid Cooper	G	2	0	0	0	0
Matt Hutton	F	2	0	0	0	0
Quinn Warmuth	D	3	0	0	0	0
Dyllan Lubbesmeyer	G	7	0	0	0	0
Noah West	G	19	0	0	0	0
Bench	-	-	-	-	-	10
Total			85	149	234	272

^[6]

Goaltending statistics

Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
Noah West	19	1082	9	7	0	48	520	1	.915	2.66
Dyllan Lubbesmeyer	7	313	5	2	0	14	131	0	.903	2.68
Reid Cooper	2	71	1	0	0	4	22	0	.846	3.35
Empty Net	-	14	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-
Total	24	1480	15	9	0	69	673	1	.907	2.80

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	20	NR	NR	20	17	17	NR	19	19	19	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR
USA Today	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.^[7]

Awards and honors

Player	Award	Ref
Nick Prkusic	Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year	^[8]
Randy Hernández	Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year	^[8]
Nick Jenny	Atlantic Hockey Best Defenseman	^[8]
Nick Jenny	Atlantic Hockey Individual Sportsmanship Award	^[8]
Derek Schooley	Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year	^[8]
Nick Jenny	Atlantic Hockey First Team	^[9]
Nick Prkusic	Atlantic Hockey First Team	^[9]
Noah West	Atlantic Hockey Second Team	^[9]
Brendan Michaelian
Randy Hernández
Noah West	Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team	^[9]
Brian Kramer
Randy Hernández

References

^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ Benz, Tim. "Robert Morris hockey players mourn loss of men's and women's teams, lash out at administration". Trib Live. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
^ "2019–20 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". RMUColonials.com. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
^ "Robert Morris Colonials (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "Robert Morris Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Atlantic Hockey Names 2020-21 Regular Season Award Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.

[1] "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[2] "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[3] Benz, Tim. "Robert Morris hockey players mourn loss of men's and women's teams, lash out at administration". Trib Live. Retrieved May 28, 2021.

[4] "2019–20 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". RMUColonials.com. Retrieved June 24, 2018.

[5] "Robert Morris Colonials (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[6] "Robert Morris Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[7] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[AHA-8] "Atlantic Hockey Names 2020-21 Regular Season Award Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.

[AHA2-9] "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.

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v t e Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Clearview Arena (2004–2021)
Head coaches	Derek Schooley (2004–2021)
Seasons	2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	College Hockey America (2004–2010) Atlantic Hockey (2010–2021, 2023–2024) Atlantic Hockey America (2024–Present)
Culture & lore	Three Rivers Classic
All-time leaders	Brady Ferguson (167 Points) Cody Wydo (85 Goals) Frank Marotte (50 Wins)
NCAA Tournament appearances	2014
Conference Tournament titles	Atlantic Hockey: 2014
Robert Morris University Neville Township, PA