The Penguins aren’t the only hockey team in town getting underway for 2019-20 campaign. The Robert Morris Colonials begin their season Saturday at the Island Sports Center.
Three-time national champion Michigan Tech visits Neville Island. The Huskies are just one year removed from winning the 2018 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) title. They skate against the Colonials at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and 3:05 p.m. Sunday.
It’s an interesting year for head coach Derek Schooley’s program. They are coming off a sixth consecutive trip to the Atlantic Hockey championship weekend.
From that roster, 20 of 26 players are returning.
However, leading scorer Alex Tonge, top-scoring defenseman Eric Israel, and three-year starting goaltender Francis Marotte have all moved on.
So the Colonials have depth, cohesiveness and experience at each layer of their team. But individual players here and there will need to push their game a step forward to replace some departing stars.
In Friday’s podcast, I talk about those topics with Schooley as he begins his 16th season on the job. We also get into some offensive philosophies the team looks to embrace in the upcoming year, a unique decision to name multiple captains and an intriguing freshman class.
