Pittsburgh, Pa. - Despite an unbelievable 39-save performance from junior goaltender Brianne McLaughlin (Sheffield Village, Oh. / Ohio Flames), the Robert Morris University women's ice hockey team couldn't fend off #2-nationally ranked and College Hockey America rival Mercyhurst from claiming a 3-0 win at the RMU Island Sports Center Tuesday night.

Robert Morris played a hard-fought game against the Lakers, giving up two goals with McLaughlin in net while holding them 0-5 on the power-play.

“We played hard,” said head coach Nate Handrahan. “We did everything we needed to do to succeed, except find ways to put the puck in the net.”

Coming off a high-powered, 4-2, exhibition victory last Friday night, the Colonials seemed to carry over that intensity to Tuesday's game as they skated up and down the ice with the Lakers, holding them scoreless through the first period.

Mercyhurst capitalized in the second period though as the nation's leading scorer from a season ago, Meghan Agosta, buried an errant pass picked off from the Colonials into the right side of the net nine seconds into the frame.

Jackie Jarrell pushed the advantage to two when she fired a sharp angled shot from the blue-line that slipped between a small space between McLaughlin and the right pipe with 8:18 left to go in the frame.

Facing the 2-0 deficit late in the third period, RMU tried to get back in the game on a six-on-four power-play opportunity for the final two minutes.

Off a second errant pass, Agosta repeated her antics from the previous period as she broke away with the puck down the ice for a short-handed empty-net goal that sealed the victory.

Robert Morris was out-shot, 42-11, in the game while going 0-4 on the power-play.

McLaughlin's save total tied her fifth best against the Lakers as she has posted totals of 57, 55, 53 and 42 against them in years past.

Robert Morris heads to the road this weekend as they take on #1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Wisconsin Friday night for the start of a two-game series at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc. Face-off is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.