Tim Benz: Robert Morris hockey coaches must help players to transfer while maintaining hope programs can return
As supporters of Robert Morris ice hockey hold out hope that some sort of 11th-hour development may save the recently eliminated men’s and women’s programs, Men’s head coach Derek Schooley and women’s head coach Paul Colontino are tasked with dismantling their rosters, while simultaneously hoping their programs stay afloat.
According to players on both the men’s and women’s teams, the head coaches and their assistants have split their time between keeping their fingers crossed that somehow Colonials hockey can be reinstated and actively seeking and facilitating transfer opportunities for their current players.
To the degree that even if the programs can be “Coach (Mike) Corbett, coach (Ryan) Durocher, and I are working to make sure we are getting as many players homes for next year (as possible),” Schooley said via text Sunday. “It’s about finding locker room stalls. And if there is scholarship money available it is a bonus. We owe it to the players to make sure we can assist them any way we possibly can.”
Colontino is in the same boat.
“I feel like as a coach it is a really tough position to be in,” said women’s leading scorer Lexi Templeman. “They want what is best for each individual player and would do anything to help everyone be successful in the future, even if that means finding a new school to play for. At the same time, they are hoping to keep the team together. I think our coaches have handled the situation as best as we could ask. They’ve been extremely supportive and understanding towards all of us, no matter what path we are looking to take.”
Aidan Spellacy, a junior on last year’s men’s team, said Schooley and his staff have tried to be as transparent as possible in their conversations.
“My talks with them have been about doing what’s best for ourselves because there’s no promise they’ll get the program back,” Spellacy said. “(Their advice) has been, if you get an offer or a sure thing, go after it and take it.
“It’s an awkward position because they are the ones who have recruited us there, and now they are trying to place us in other places. So it’s a weird dynamic. But they are trying to do what’s best for us. Which is what they’ve done, in my experience, since I’ve been with them.”
Colonials players haven’t agreed with the administration on much of anything since the announcement of eliminating the programs was announced on May 26. But on this front, at least both sides are expressing similar opinions regarding the coaches.
“The connections by the coaches remain indispensable in identifying the best possible opportunity for each student-athlete,” Robert Morris director of athletic Chris King said through an emailed statement Sunday.
“The department of athletics has worked diligently to provide individual plans for each student-athlete that enables them to pursue their academic, athletic and personal goals. Our primary focus has been to support our student-athletes during this challenging time, and that remains.”
Schooley says the discussions with his current players have been difficult.
“It’s really hard and emotional to have conversations about other schools when they don’t want to leave Robert Morris. But we have to do what’s in the best interest of the players and they have to worry about themselves,” Schooley said.
Those talks are hard to have with the recruits, too. Goalie Darius Bell was planning on walking on to the RMU squad from his NAHL team in Minnesota for the 2021-22 season. Now Schooley has had to tell him that may not be possible.
“I really feel for (the coaches),” Bell said. “Especially coach Schooley. He has been there since the program started. I’m sure this is not how he envisioned it ending. And now he’s got to help 20-25 kids find different places to play in an already crazy year.
“He and coach Durocher are two of the greatest coaches I’ve spoken with at the Division I level. I wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
In his first season guiding the women’s program, Colontino took the Colonials from 11-24-1 to 19-9-4. Schooley is the only coach the men’s team has even had. Now they may find themselves starting from scratch all over again.
Unfortunately for them, that’s a best-case scenario.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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