The Marquette Golden Eagles came into this weekend’s series in desperate need of two wins to maintain the nine seed in the Pacific Division and have any hopes of making regionals. After a 3-2 loss Friday and a 5-2 loss Saturday, the odds don’t look good for the Golden Eagles. The two losses drop Marquette’s record to 16-11-2 .
A feisty Robert Morris team met Marquette when the teams hit the ice Friday night. The Eagles opened the game with two goals in the first period, and Marquette answered with two goals in the second to enter the third gridlocked. Marquette appeared to grab the upper hand after putting the puck in the net, but the referee waved off the goal. Robert Morris scored late in the game to give the Eagles the victory in the first game.
In Saturday’s game, Marquette jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the first period, but it didn’t take long for the wheels to fall off. Robert Morris rattled off five consecutive goals to take a 5-1 lead in the third period. Marquette managed to grab another goal late, but by that time, the game was already out of reach.
Penalties were a major factor in the second game, as the Marquette team had 26 penalty minutes in the game. Those 13 penalties led to three of Robert Morris power play goals.
With the two losses, captain Ryan Zanon said it’s going to be very tough for the team to hold onto its No. 9 regional ranking. He also said that the team is working hard but not getting the bounces they need.
“I felt the team worked extremely hard this weekend and played with a strong sense of purpose,” Zanon said. “However, the results didn’t show for us yet again. It’s been a frustrating second half of the season but we’re looking forward to Senior Night this Friday against Iowa State and the MACHA playoffs.”
The two losses extend Marquette’s losing streak to four games, tied for its longest stretch of the season. The Golden Eagles will try to halt it this weekend against Iowa State. Senior Night’s puck drop is at 7 p.m., and the season finale is Saturday at 1 p.m.
