Coming off a 6-5 comeback win last Saturday, the RMU ACHA DI hockey team kicked off homecoming weekend in a cross town showdown against the Duquesne Dukes at the 84 Lumber Arena.

With the late addition to the schedule and some changes to the line, the Colonials would finish with their third victory of the season, winning 6-1.

RMU started off with a very physical first period with the team turning to the power play with three opportunities, but came up empty handed. It wouldn’t be until the final 30 seconds that RMU would find the back of the net.

Freshman forward Randy Unger recorded his first point of the night and first as a Colonial. Cody Brightbill would also notch his first point of the game with an assist on the lone goal of the period. The late tally put RMU in the lead heading into the second.

“It feels great,” Unger said of his two point night. “I went four games without a point. It feels a lot better to get that monkey off my back.”

It wasn’t long after taking the ice in the second that they saw their second tally of the night. Just a few minutes into the second James Joyce took a pass from Unger and Joe Boyer making it 2-0 RMU.

Brightbill would later take the puck home and put the team up three-zip with just under eight minutes left in the second.

“Our forwards had a good fore check deep in the zone. I got a fortunate bounce right to me right on the blue line,” Brightbill said of his goal. “I took on shot on net, and good things happen when you get the puck to the ne.t”

Despite the two goals RMU would lose freshman Justin Rehrer for the reminder of the period due to a physical battle with Duquene forward Eric Smith with 8:17 left.

Both players received a four minute roughing penalty, along with a 10 minute misconduct. Rehrer would later return to the game but was removed with 5fiveminutes to spear in the third period.

The Dukes would also get its first and only goal off of goaltender Ryan Gayso with 3:55 remaining.

Wes Heinle would open the scoring in the final frame of the game with a little help from Eric Barger, just 28 seconds in. Less than a minute late Alex Dagnal would make it a four goal lead, with the assists going to Nick Fischer and Barger. Tristan Enck would record the final goal of the evening, which also turned into his first goal and Cassidy Galeone with the assist.

By the final buzzer the Colonials would take the game, 6-1, after having 10 different players make the scoring sheet.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” assistant coach Conrad Waite said of the lineup changes. “We had a lot of guys playing in rolls that necessary use to. Pretty much everyone on the team stepped up tonight, and I think you saw that in the outcome of the game.”