MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (Island Sports Center) - Robert Morris University netted three even-strength second-period goals en route to handing the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team a 4-1 loss in College Hockey America play Friday at the Island Sports Center in Moon Township, Pa.

After the Beavers posted the only goal of the first period, RMU dominated play during the second and would skate out of the frame with a 3-1 lead.

“The better team won tonight, what can you say?” commented head coach Tom Serratore after the game. “They had more jump tonight. Hats off to those guys.”

The Beavers were the first to light the lamp, and they did it in typical, BSU blue collar fashion. The tandem of Matt Francis (Jr., F, Surrey, British Columbia) and Matt Pope (Sr., C, Langley, British Columbia) corralled an errant RMU pass and found Blaine Jarvis (Sr., F, Gladstone, Manitoba) who netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season at the 11:20-mark of the first period.

The teams would skate off the ice at the end of the period with the score at 1-0 in favor of the visiting Beavers despite RMU owning a 12-5 advantage in the shots category.

The second period got messy for the Beavers. Although BSU killed three penalties, RMU out shot BSU 18-7 and netted three goals to take a two-goal lead.

BSU gave the Colonials a good scoring opportunity when Tyler Lehrke (So., F, Park Rapids, Minn.) was called for high-sticking penalty with Dave Deterding (Sr., D, Alexandria, Minn.) already in the box. But the Beavers showcased why they have been among the nation’s leaders on the penalty-kill this season as they squashed the 37-second 5-on-3 and the rest of the Lehrke penalty time.

But the Colonials would knot the score 7:37 into the second period. Logan Bittle tipped a shot past BSU’s Matt Climie (Sr., G, Leduc, Alberta) in a scuffle in front of the net.

RMU took its first lead of the game 5:06 minutes later when Climie made a save on a Dave Cowan shot, but Sean Berkstresser gathered the rebound and flipped it over the right shoulder of the BSU goaltender. J.C. Velasquez was also credited with an assist on the play.

The hosts would dig the Beavers a two-goal hole with 49 seconds left in the period. Dave Biondich fluttered the puck over the left elbow of Climie to give RMU 3-1 lead heading into the third period.

The Beavers struggled to generate any offensive momentum in the third and the Colonials would add a short-handed goal at the 12:28 mark of the third stanza to put the game out of reach for BSU and claim the 4-1 victory.

Robert Morris finished the game with a 35-23 advantage in shots on goal.

Each team was held scoreless on three power-play opportunities.

Climie stopped 31 RMU shots in 57:38 in net allowing four goals in the loss falling to 11-5-3 on the season.

RMU’s Christian Boucher allowed the BSU first-period goal but held the Beavers scoreless during the final two frames collecting 22 saves in the win. He improved to 14-7-2 on the season.

The loss drops BSU’s all-time record versus RMU to 9-6-1 while the team is now 3-4-0 versus the Colonials on their home ice.

Bemidji State, 13-13-3 overall and 10-4-3 in league play, will battle the same Robert Morris team tomorrow in an effort to earn a series split and two important points to the Beavers’ 2007-08 CHA title hopes. The game is set for a 6:35 p.m. CT opening faceoff.

--bsu--