PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Sacred Heart men's hockey team rallied from 4-1 down early in the second period to tie the game 4-4 at 84 Lumber Arena on Sunday, but Robert Morris scored the game-winner with less than five minutes remaining for a 5-4 win.

Sacred Heart (5-8-2, 4-5-1 AHC) scored first for the second straight game. Evan Jasper finished off a shorthanded breakaway started by Jeff Carroll with 12:23 remaining in the first period, giving the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. Robert Morris (7-2-3, 6-1-3 AHC) tied the game 25 seconds later, when Brandon Denham slipped a Brady Ferguson pass past Pioneers goaltender Nathan Perry for a power play goal to tie the game 1-1. 

The Colonials then scored three straight goals in the first 2:49 of the second period to take a 4-1 lead, highlighted by a Ferguson power play goal and a shorthanded goal by Zac Lynch. Sacred Heart got back in the game with two goals from Jordan Minello late in the second. Minello made the score 4-2 with 5:34 to play with a one-timer from just outside the RMU crease from Jasper. He then added a power play goal with 2:57 left to make the score 4-3 heading into the third period.

Sacred Heart tied the game 4-4 3:03 into the third period when Alec Butcher buried a pass from Zach Sabatini past Dalton Izyk. The Pioneers had two chances on the power play in the third to take the lead, but couldn't convert on either man advantage, Robert Morris took the lead with 4:38 remaining when David Friedmann scored the eventual game-winning goal. Sacred Heart had one last chance to tie the game late, but Izyk stopped Justin Danforth's shot with two seconds remaining. 

Robert Morris outshot Sacred Heart 31-30. The Colonials were 2-for-5 on the power play while the Pioneers were 1-for-6.  Izyk and Perry each made 26 saves in goal. Minello, Jasper, and Butcher each had two points for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers return to Milford Ice Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 4 when they open a home-and-home series with Army West Point at 7:05 p.m.

FIRST PERIOD

- Mitch Nylen hit the goalpost 1:09 into the game, after Izyk stopped shots from Jasper and Jacob Brightbill.

- Jasper's goal was his fourth of the season and his second career shorthanded goal.

- RMU's power play goal came on its second shot of the game.

- Perry made three saves to kill a Colonials power play with 8:07 remaining. Jasper, Justin Danforth, and Jordan Minello each had a shot on goal during that penalty kill.

- The Pioneers had two shots on goal on its lone power play of the first period.

- RMU outshot SHU 10-9 in the period.

- The Colonials scored a power play goal, an even strength goal, and a shorthanded goal in the first 2:49 of the period to take a 4-1 lead.

- Coltyn Hansen had a shot go off Izyk's blocker with 12:11 remaining.

- The Pioneers went on their third power play of the game with 11:57 to go and put three shots on goal.

- Perry stopped a shot from Timmy Moore with 7:13 left in the period, then stopped another shot from Cope.

- Minello's two goals in the second gave him his first two-goal game of the 2015-16 season and the fifth of his career.

- Jasper's assist on Minello's first goal was his third of the weekend and fourth point of the series.

- Mitch Nylen and Alec Butcher had the assists on Minello's power play goal. Butcher's assist gives him the team-lead with nine. 

THIRD PERIOD

- The Pioneers killed two penalties to start the third period, with Perry making eight saves to keep the deficit at one.

- Butcher's goal was his second of the season, as well as his second point of the game.

- Danforth and Zach Luczyk each had a shot on goal during a SHU power play with 14:39 remaining.

- Perry made a save on a hard-charging Lynch with 10:39 to go.

- Sabatini hit the post during a power play with 8:37 to play.

- Perry stopped shots from Greg Gibson and Brandon Denham with 7:05 to go.