ERIE, Pa. — The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team (0-14-0, 0-8-0) fell to RMU (3-9-1, 3-2-0), 3-1, in a hard fought battle at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The first period began with the Lakers asserting early pressure, generating multiple shot attempts but finding their efforts blocked or saved by the Colonial goaltender. Brendan Lamb and Tyler DesRochers were among those making offensive pushes, with DesRochers hitting the pipe once, but the puck remained out of the net.

Despite the Lakers' efforts, the Colonials capitalized with a goal at 4:39 remaining in the period. The period ended with RMU leading 1–0, as the home team sought to equalize the score.

The Lakers began the second period by building momentum with consistent pressure and shot attempts. Ryan Coughlin won the opening faceoff, setting the tone early. Despite several shots that were blocked or went wide, Mercyhurst maintained their offensive push. Dominik Bartecko broke the stalemate midway through the period, scoring at even strength with assists from Trent Sambrook and DesRochers, giving the home team a 1–0 lead in the period.

The Colonials responded with attempts to equalize, gaining multiple faceoffs and power play opportunities, but they were unable to capitalize, with Charles-Edward Gravel making key saves. The Lakers successfully killed off a penalty and continued to apply pressure on their own power play, although they did not convert. The period concluded with the score tied at 1–1, as Mercyhurst held off RMU's late-period efforts.

The Green and Blue opened the third period by dominating the faceoff circle, with Coughlin and Lamb winning key draws. Despite several offensive attempts, including shots from Andrew LeBlanc and Francesco Iasenza, the team was unable to convert against the Colonial defense.

The Colonials extended their lead with a goal at 14:27, followed by another on a power play at 03:54. The Lakers attempted a comeback, pulling their goalie for an extra attacker and gaining a late power play, but their efforts were thwarted by blocked shots and saves from the RMU netminder.

The period concluded with Mercyhurst unable to close the gap, as the final score stood at 3–1 in favor of Robert Morris.

Bartecko scored one goal on three shots, contributing to his overall point tally. Lamb excelled in faceoffs, winning 11 out of 18 for a 61% success rate. Spencer Smith demonstrated efficiency at the faceoff circle with an 80% win rate, capturing four out of five attempts. Goalie, Gravel made 22 saves during the game.

The Lakers will travel to RMU tomorrow as they finish their series with the Colonials at 7:00 p.m.