# 2023–24 Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey season was the 18th season of play for the program and the 12th in Atlantic Hockey. The Colonials represented Robert Morris University, played their home games at the Clearview Arena and were coached by Derek Schooley in his 18th season.

## Season

With the team returning to the ice for the first time in over two years, the team accomplished its primary objective for the year simply by existing. There were few, if any, expectations for the team that still had to learn how to work together. Predictably, both the offense and defense were weak but neither were embarrassingly so; the Colonials averaged more than 2 goals per game despite suffering through a terrible stretch in the middle of the season. The team's porous defense surrendered an average of almost 40 shots per game and Robert Morris was routinely outshot throughout the season. While starter Chad Veltri faced an daunting task in most games, he did give the Colonials a chance to win on most nights. The Niagara transfer stopped well more than 90% of the shots he faced and led the nation in saves per game.
As the season progressed, Robert Morris was consistently ranked among the worst teams, but that didn't stop the Colonials from producing a few highlights. The shutout of Bowling Green in just their second game back was a welcome relief for the fans who hadn't seen the program win since 2021. While their road trip to Minneapolis resulted in two losses, RMU's defense stood strong against the highly-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. The best moment of the year, however, was probably the team's first playoff game. The RMU power play scored twice to give the team a 2-goal lead over Bentley entering the third period. While Robert Morris was unable to hold the lead, they still had a chance to win in overtime. Just before the end of the extra session, Cameron Garvey intercepted a pass behind the Falcons' cage and wrapped the puck around to score the winning goal. The team was unable to parlay their upset victory into any further success, but that did not detract from their successful return.
Off of the ice, the team had two very positive developments over the course of the year. The first was a deal struck with SportsNet Pittsburgh to broadcast select games for both the men's and women's teams. Not only would this increase the visibility of the program, but the additional funds would help to stability the program. Towards the end of the season, the university announced plans for a new $28 million arena and were seeking to have some of the cost offset by the state. While estimates put the completion for the project approximately three years away, the plans themselves demonstrated that the school was now expecting to keep its ice hockey team around for the foreseeable future.

## Departures

Note: All departures occurred after the 2020–21 season.
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Justin Addamo | Forward | France | Transferred to Rensselaer |
| Garrett Clegg | Forward | United States | Transferred to Oswego State |
| Reid Cooper | Goaltender | Canada | Transferred to Curry |
| Matt Guerra | Forward | United States | Transferred to Holy Cross |
| Santeri Hartikainen | Forward | Finland | Transferred to American International |
| Kyler Head | Forward | United States | Transferred to Mercyhurst |
| Grant Hebert | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Maine |
| Randy Hernández | Forward | United States | Transferred to Canisius |
| Nick Jenny | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Roman Kraemer | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Brian Kramer | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to American International |
| David Lafrance | Defenseman | Canada | Returned to juniors (Halifax Mooseheads) |
| Nick Lalonde | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Geoffrey Lawson | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Tyler Love | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Wisconsin–Eau Claire |
| Dyllan Lubbesmeyer | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Brendon Michaelian | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Ferris State |
| Nick Prkusic | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Nolan Schaeffer | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Aidan Spellacy | Forward | United States | Transferred to St. Cloud State |
| Bradley Stonnell | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Wisconsin–Superior |
| Jordan Timmons | Forward | United States | Transferred to Long Island |
| Darcy Walsh | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Quinn Warmuth | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Oswego State |
| Noah West | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Michigan |

## Recruiting

Due to the team being dormant for two years, the vast majority of the roster is made up of players new to the program. The Colonials have only three returning players: Gavin Gulash, Cameron Hebert and Matt Hutton

## Roster

As of September 15, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Atlantic Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #17 RIT †* | 26 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 102 | 64 | 40 | 27 | 11 | 2 | 156 | 96 |
| Holy Cross | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 78 | 62 | 39 | 21 | 14 | 4 | 116 | 93 |
| Sacred Heart | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 75 | 70 | 36 | 14 | 19 | 3 | 91 | 113 |
| Air Force | 26 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 88 | 75 | 38 | 18 | 19 | 1 | 115 | 119 |
| American International | 26 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 79 | 68 | 40 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 119 | 111 |
| Bentley | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 69 | 58 | 35 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 95 | 82 |
| Niagara | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 78 | 79 | 39 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 111 | 122 |
| Canisius | 26 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 73 | 87 | 37 | 12 | 21 | 4 | 103 | 126 |
| Mercyhurst | 26 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 77 | 91 | 35 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 98 | 126 |
| Army | 26 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 66 | 96 | 35 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 93 | 139 |
| Robert Morris | 26 | 7 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 60 | 95 | 39 | 11 | 25 | 3 | 94 | 142 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:05 pm | Bowling Green* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 0–3 | 1,225 | 0–1–0 |
| October 8 | 5:07 pm | at Bowling Green* | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Veltri | W 3–0 | 1,345 | 1–1–0 |
| October 14 | 4:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 582 | 1–1–1 (0–0–1) |
| October 20 | 7:00 pm | Holy Cross | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–3 | 807 | 1–2–1 (0–1–1) |
| October 21 | 5:00 pm | Holy Cross | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 604 | 1–2–2 (0–1–2) |
| October 27 | 7:00 pm | Bentley | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | W 4–3 | 643 | 2–2–2 (1–1–2) |
| October 28 | 4:00 pm | Bentley | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 0–3 | 619 | 2–3–2 (1–2–2) |
| November 4 | 7:00 pm | Simon Fraser* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania (Exhibition) | FloHockey | Boisvert | W 3–1 | – | |
| November 10 | 11:00 pm | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Boisvert | L 2–3 | 700 | 2–4–2 |
| November 11 | 10:00 pm | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Veltri | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 506 | 2–4–3 |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | at Niagara | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | L 2–6 | 1,066 | 2–5–3 (1–3–2) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | Niagara | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–4 | 667 | 2–6–3 (1–4–2) |
| November 21 | 7:00 pm | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–5 | 790 | 2–7–3 (1–5–2) |
| November 24 | 6:00 pm | Sacred Heart | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 2–4 | 623 | 2–8–3 (1–6–2) |
| November 25 | 1:00 pm | Sacred Heart | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey, SNY | Veltri | L 1–3 | 566 | 2–9–3 (1–7–2) |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | at #19 RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey, SNP | Veltri | L 1–4 | 2,896 | 2–10–3 (1–8–2) |
| December 2 | 6:00 pm | at #19 RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | L 2–6 | 2,650 | 2–11–3 (1–9–2) |
| December 7 | 7:00 pm | Niagara | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey, SNP | Veltri | W 4–1 | 514 | 3–11–3 (2–9–2) |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | at Niagara | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | W 3–1 | 693 | 4–11–3 (3–9–2) |
| December 16 | 7:00 pm | #13 Arizona State* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–4 | 863 | 4–12–3 |
| December 17 | 5:00 pm | #13 Arizona State* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey, SNP | Veltri | L 3–8 | 732 | 4–13–3 |
| January 5 | 7:00 pm | Stonehill* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | W 8–1 | 606 | 5–13–3 |
| January 6 | 5:00 pm | Stonehill* | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | W 7–3 | 658 | 6–13–3 |
| January 12 | 8:00 pm | at #12 Minnesota* | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | Fox 9+, BTN+ | Boisvert | L 2–4 | 8,449 | 6–14–3 |
| January 13 | 6:00 pm | at #12 Minnesota* | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | Fox 9+, BTN+ | Veltri | L 1–4 | 9,475 | 6–15–3 |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | #20 RIT | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey, SNP | Veltri | L 3–6 | 592 | 6–16–3 (3–10–2) |
| January 20 | 7:00 pm | #20 RIT | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–7 | 805 | 6–17–3 (3–11–2) |
| January 26 | 1:00 pm | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Boisvert | W 2–0 | — | 7–17–3 (4–11–2) |
| January 27 | 1:00 pm | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Veltri | L 2–5 | 256 | 7–18–3 (4–12–2) |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Boisvert | W 5–2 | 1,042 | 8–18–3 (5–12–2) |
| February 3 | 7:00 pm | Mercyhurst | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Boisvert | W 4–3 | 759 | 9–18–3 (6–12–2) |
| February 9 | 7:00 pm | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–3 | 1,708 | 9–19–3 (6–13–2) |
| February 10 | 6:00 pm | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Veltri | W 4–3 | 1,734 | 10–19–3 (7–13–2) |
| February 16 | 7:00 pm | Canisius | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Boisvert | L 3–5 | 619 | 10–20–3 (7–14–2) |
| February 17 | 5:00 pm | Canisius | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey, SNP | Veltri | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 1,008 | 10–21–3 (7–15–2) |
| February 23 | 9:00 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Veltri | L 2–5 | 2,670 | 10–22–3 (7–16–2) |
| February 24 | 7:00 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Boisvert | L 1–2 | 2,698 | 10–23–3 (7–17–2) |
| Atlantic Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| March 2 | 7:00 pm | at Bentley* | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts (First Round) | FloHockey | Veltri | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,678 | 11–23–3 |
| March 8 | 7:05 pm | at #19 RIT* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York (Quarterfinal Game 1) | FloHockey | Veltri | L 0–7 | 2,988 | 11–24–3 |
| March 9 | 7:05 pm | at #19 RIT* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York (Quarterfinal Game 2) | FloHockey | Veltri | L 1–5 | 3,248 | 11–25–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Tanner Klimpke | F | 37 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 14 |
| Dallas Tulik | F | 37 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 24 |
| Walter Zacher | C | 33 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 22 |
| Jackson Reineke | F | 37 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 43 |
| Rylee St. Onge | LW | 38 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 45 |
| Logan Ganie | LW | 35 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 |
| Cameron Garvey | C | 37 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 19 |
| McKay Hayes | C | 38 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 35 |
| Cade Townend | D | 38 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 26 |
| Luke Johnson | D | 39 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
| George Krotiris | W | 36 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 19 |
| Michael Craig | D | 39 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Gavin Gulash | F | 38 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 35 |
| Paul Maust | LW | 36 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 41 |
| Cameron Hebert | RW | 33 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| Gabriel Lunn | D | 29 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| Luke van Why | D | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Mitch Andres | D | 33 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Dominic Schimizzi | F | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Matthew Boczar | F | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Francis Boisvert | G | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tom Gangl | G | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Trevor Ledonne | D | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 43 |
| Chad Veltri | G | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Michael Sochan | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Chiang | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Hutton | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Charles Merkley | RW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Haynes | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | | | 94 | 156 | 250 | 493 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Michael Sochan | 3 | 7:32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Francis Boisvert | 13 | 537:34 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 349 | 1 | .926 | 3.13 |
| Chad Veltri | 32 | 1819:58 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 105 | 1054 | 1 | .909 | 3.46 |
| Empty Net | - | 11:00 | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 39 | 2376:04 | 11 | 25 | 3 | 142 | 1411 | 2 | .909 | 3.59 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.