THANKSGIVING TRAVELS
The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team renews acquaintances with Robert Morris on Thanksgiving Weekend, after the latter's program took a four-year hiatus from the end of the 2019-20 season. The Pios will be making their first trip to western Pennsylvania since February of 2019. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday at RMU Island Sports Center. Both games will be streamed live on FloSports. Saturday's game is available in western Pennsylvania on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pios were idle last weekend, but swept defending Atlantic Hockey champion Canisius the weekend prior at Martire Family Arena. SHU got a couple of timely power-play goals on the way to a 4-1 win on Friday night and then held on for a 3-2 win on Saturday night to finish off the weekend sweep. Marcus Joughin scored three times over the course of the weekend, including Friday's game-winner. Chase Clark stopped 45 out of 48 shots in the net for the Pios. Braeden Tuck had a six-game point streak (3-6-9) snapped on Friday, but contributed an assist on Saturday and has points in eight of the first 10 games.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Returning to college hockey after four years of non-existence, Robert Morris is going through growing pains to start the program's second stint, with just two wins in its first 12 games. The Colonials were swept on the road at Niagara last weekend, 6-2 and 4-1, and then dropped a 5-1 decision at Canisius on Tuesday night. Tanner Klimpke has eight points (4-4-8) through 12 games to lead the offense, which is producing just 1.88 goals per game. Chad Veltri and his .922 save percentage lead a defensive effort which is holding opponents to under three goals per game.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST ROBERT MORRIS
The two teams last met for a weekend set in Connecticut on Dec. 7-8, 2019, with Sacred Heart sweeping the pair. The Pios scored a 6-0 shutout at Harbor Yard on Saturday, behind 2-1-3 from Austin McIlmurray, and followed up with a 4-2 victory on Sunday at Yale's Ingalls Rink, courtesy of a natural hat trick from Jason Cotton, who also added an assist for good measure. The Pioneers and Colonials were slated to meet in an Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal series in March of 2020, before the tournament was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

ALL-TIME AGAINST ROBERT MORRIS
The Colonials have been something of a problem for SHU, which is just 5-23-1 in 29 all-time meetings with RMU. After Sacred Heart went winless in its first 23 games (0-22-1) against Robert Morris, the tide had started to turn prior to the pandemic, with the Pios winning five of the last six (5-1-0) contests between the two. SHU is just 2-11-1 in 14 games at the RMU Island Sports Center, but swept a weekend series in its most-recent trip there, in February of 2019.

UP NEXT
The Pios have a pair of games at AIC on Dec. 1-2. Friday's game will be the annual Jason Pagni Memorial Game, and contested at Avon Old Farm, while Saturday is in downtown Springfield.