Teams Appreciate "Exciting" 3RC Experience

The Three Rivers Classic came back to PPG Paints Arena for the fifth consecutive season, bringing two days of hard-fought, entertaining college hockey.

Robert Morris, Boston College, Quinnipiac and Ferris State went head-to-head, with the RMU Colonials taking home the trophy after defeating Quinnipiac 5-2 in the championship game on Friday night for their third 3RC title and second in a row.
Boston College topped Ferris State 2-1 in a shootout to claim third place, though the game will be considered a tie on both teams' records.
The annual tournament has become highly anticipated event, allowing the participating teams to get back in the rhythm of the season after the holiday break. Not only does the host school of Robert Morris get to show off some of the best teams in college hockey, but it also gets to show off the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins facility.
"This is a very well-organized, well-run event by a great staff," RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. "To have great teams come year after year shows what a premier tournament this has become. Obviously we want to continue drawing outstanding teams and outstanding fields, and show them what Pittsburgh is about and what a great city, what a great building and what a great organization this is."
"I think the way the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and the rink treats us is outstanding," Boston College head coach Jerry York said. "They went out of their way to make it really special for the teams."
Ferris State even featured an all-Pittsburgh line with Jacob Hetz (Pittsburgh), Trevor Recktenwald (Venetia) and Tyler Andrew (Bethel Park).
"They played off and on for the last two years," Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels said. "They play quite a bit together. We never put them together because they're an all Pittsburgh line. They're all a very good size, there's a lot of size to that line. Our rink is a little smaller rink than a NHL size sheet, it's fairly compact. That line is really effective, they're strong, they get the puck in the offensive zone and it's hard to get it away from them.
"Pittsburgh is a growing area in terms of youth hockey and I wanted to make sure I started that line so that people realize that we have four players from Pennsylvania on our roster and three right from Pittsburgh. I think this is a market that's going to grow in youth hockey."
The Bulldogs were also able to meet up with Ferris State alum Chris Kunitz. The team attended Tuesday night's game between the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, with Kunitz rightfully scoring the game-tying goal in the third period in front of his alma mater.
"To tell you the guy Chris Kunitz is, he had a noon practice today, then his own son was playing in a youth hockey tournament and had two games. He raced over after that to watch the end of our game and came down to say hello to our guys," Daniels said. "To understand the travel that a NHL player goes through, with how few nights he actually has off, for him to come to the rink and watch, bring his family and come say hello, it meant the world to us."
The tournament was also a chance for the teams to play on a NHL rink that's home to the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I think everybody likes playing here," said Daniel Leavens, who not only scored the game-winning goal on Thursday for RMU, but the first goal in the NCAA semifinals the last two years at PPG Paints Arena.
"It's no knock on other rinks we play in, but it's obviously an honor to play in this facility. We get treated awesome by the Penguins staff and everyone in the arena. It's fun, we get to play some of the best teams in the nation. To have the success we've had in the four years I've been here, it's been exciting."
Exciting was a word that three-time Three Rivers Classic winning coach, Schooley, used quite a lot to describe the experience.
"It's exciting to play here, it's exciting to be involved in this tournament and it's exciting to win," said Schooley.