Penn State hockey will look to snap its abysmal 0-3 start to the season with a Tuesday night game against Robert Morris.
How To Watch
Who: Robert Morris Colonials
When: Tuesday, October 20
Where: Pegula Ice Arena, State College, PA
Time: 6pm
TV: Big Ten Plus
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lineup
Justin Larose-Kale Dach-Justin Poirier
Shea Van Olm-Dane Dowiak-Reese Laubach
Charlie Michaud-Kaden Pitre-Andrew Kuzma
Lev Katzin-Luke Misa-Shea Busch
Jackson Smith-Mac Gadowsky
Ethan Weber-Caeden Herrington
Casey Aman-Nolan Collins
Josh Fleming
Ryder Fetterolf
Opponent Preview
Robert Morris is 0-4 to start the season after being swept by Wisconsin and Miami. The Colonials were decently competitive against the Badgers in 4-2 and 1-0 losses, but the talent deficit was too much to overcome in the end.
The offense has only five goals and 81 shots on goal total in the first four games. Normally, the lack of offense would not concern me, but Penn State’s defense has been leaky all season and has given life to teams that did not look threatening on paper. If there is any time to get things straightened out defensively, it is now. Senior Justin Reineke does not have a goal yet, but his 11 goals in 2025-26 were the most of any returning player on the roster. He has put up eight shots on goal to lead all RMU skaters, so it feels like it is a matter of time until he scores a goal or two. Dominic Elliott is an offensive threat from the blue line, and freshman defenseman Gavin Ewles also has one goal on the young season.
Defensively, Robert Morris is one of four teams allowing more shots on goal per game (38.5) than Penn State. This is a defense with a ton of holes. Penn State has an opportunity to pick up its scoring pace against the weakest defense it has seen this year. Charlie Schenkel is the likely starter in net, with a .906 save percentage and 3.87 GAA in his four starts.
Robert Morris is 46th in the NCAA on the power play (9.1%) and 49th on the penalty kill (68.4%).
News & Notes
- Penn State leads the all-time series 8-4 and has won the last six meetings.
- These teams will meet again on February 7, 2027 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Prediction
It may be only the fourth game of the season, but if there is any hope for Penn State to turn this thing around, tonight is a must-win game. The Nittany Lions have a massive talent advantage and are playing at home. It may not always be pretty, but the home team gets it done.
Penn State 5, Robert Morris 3