Robert Morris (4-6-0) vs. Niagara (1-8-1)
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 ? 5:00 p.m.
Mellon Arena
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 - 7:35 p.m.
RMU Island Sports Center ? Pittsburgh, Pa.
Week in Rewind ? This past weekend the Colonials hosted the Providence Friars at the RMU Island Sports Center and fell in both contests by scores of 3-1 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday. In game one of the series Providence gained the early lead at 8:52 of the first period when senior Katy Beach executed on the Friars first power-play of the game. After the first score, the Colonials played relentless defense holding the Friars scoreless until the last minute of the second period when freshman Laura Veharanta slipped the puck past senior netminder Brianne McLaughlin to put the Friars up 2-0 going into the third period. With one minute left on the clock junior defenseman Jacki Gibson broke the silence of the third period and took a hard shot from the deep left side of the ice and found an opening to close the gap on the Friar lead. Junior Chelsea Walkland and senior Morgan Beikirch added the assist. The Colonials immediately pulled their goalie in an effort to tie things up, but Providence was able to escape the Robert Morris defense and find the empty net to end the game 3-1.
In game two of the series four of the contests seven goals came within the first eight minutes of the first period. Robert Morris got the first strike when senior captain Kristen Miles netted the first score of the game and her first goal of the season at 1:30 in the first period. Sophomores Sara O'Malley and Whitney Pappas added the assists. Providence quickly answered back with a goal of its own four minutes later. O'Malley tallied the Colonials' second goal at 7:14 off a pass from freshman Brianna Delaney and senior Samantha Ullrich. Unfortunately, the Colonials were unable to score in the next two periods, while the Friars added two more goals to their collection. Robert Morris again pulled their goalie, but the Friars found the empty net for the second game in a row to end the game 5-2.
On night one against the Friars, McLaughlin earned a save average of .931 and on night two she grabbed 35 saves. Over the course of both games, McLaughlin tallied 62 saves, a save percentage of .912 and a GAA of 3.04.
Scouting the Niagara Purple Eagles ? The Purle Eagles recently snapped an eight game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Clarkson and then followed the win with 3-3 deadlock in game two of the series. In game one of the series, Clarkson tallied the first goal of the game at 10:45 in the first period, but the Purple Eagles found their groove in the second period and notched three goals to grab the 3-1 lead. Neither team connected in the third period giving Niagara the victory. In the win sophomore Autumn Stuntz led the way with a goal and an assist. Freshman Kayla Colang and senior Ashley Riggs also added goals in the win. Sophomore goalie Jenni Bauer notched 31 saves for her first win of the year.
On night two against the Golden Knights, the Purple Eagles were down 2-0 six minutes into the second period, but were able to close the gap with a score by Mary McKinnon at 12:58 in the second period, with Ashley Riggs handing off the assist. Riggs offensive prowess continued in the third period as she scored two goals within five minutes of each other to put the Purple Eagles up 3-2. At 11:53 Clarkson found the net for its third score to knot the game 3-3. Neither team was able to score in overtime, leaving the game with the knotted result. Bauer tallied 27 saves in the tie.
Niagara's key returner's are senior Ashley Riggs who tallied 34 points last season and junior Mary McKinnon who added 20 in 2007-08.
Scoring Double - Freshman forward Brianna Delaney continues to be one of the Colonials's primary offensive threats. In Robert Morris' win over the Cornell Big Red the rookie put in a pair of goals against the Big Red to lead the Colonials to a 2-1 victory. Delaney now has four goals and one assist for five points on the season, which leads the team.
Pressure Points - The Colonial squad has a knack for putting up strong performances in pressure situations. So far this season, the Colonials have played in five games that were decided by a one goal difference and Robert Morris has come out victorious in four out of those five games.
Brianne Barrier- Senior netminder Brianne McLaughlin has once again proved herself as being one of the top goalies in the country after stopping 63 of 65 shots against the Gophers in the Colonials season opener against the No. 3 Minnesota Gophers and scoring a save percentage of .969 to lead Robert Morris to a 3-2 victory. Last season McLaughlin was named All-CHA First Team and has already started to rack up the awards this year. McLaughlin earned U.S. College Hockey Online National Defensive Player of the Week and CHA Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against Minnesota. In the Colonials ten contests thus far, McLaughlin has tallied 308 saves, has a .919 save percentage and has a 4-5-0 record.
On the Internet - All Robert Morris men's and women's hockey home games can be heard live on the internet by visiting www.sports.yahoo.com. Gero Von Dehn returns for his fifth season of play-by-play while Bob Kennedy will provide color commentary.
Skate for the Cure ? Last season, the Colonials faced St. Cloud State in part of the second annual Skate for the Cure campaign. The Colonials awoke from a 3-1 deficit in the third to tie the game up at 3-3 and force overtime. No goals were scored in overtime and the game finished in a 3-3 deadlock. On top, of a great game the Colonials raised over $3500 to contribute to the CHA's breast cancer research donation to the Hope Chest of Buffalo Foundation. This season, Robert Morris has marked Nov. 28 and 29 against Maine as their Skate for the Cure contests. All proceeds earned during the two games will be included in a large CHA donation to a breast cancer foundation.
Climbing Charts - Senior forward Morgan Beikirch has been a solid performer for the Colonials since her freshman year. Coming into the season she was first in the RMU record books in assists and points and continues to be one of the Colonials primary deliverers in 2008-09, as she has collected three helpers so far this season. To date, Beikirch has 61 career points and 36 career assists. Senior captain Kristen Miles isn't far behind Beikirch in career points, as she has 55. In RMU's first ten games, Miles and Beikirch have each added identical pairings of three assists and one goal.
Meeting Moxley ? Candice Moxley enters her first season as an assistant coach for the Colonials. Moxley has had numerous stints as an on-ice instructor, while also coaching high school hockey. Moxley was a stand-out at Niagara University from 2002-05 and led her team to a frozen four appearance in 2002. She was named captain in 2003-04, was named All-CHA Second Team and earned the Taps Gallagher Award for Sportsmanship in her senior year. Following her collegiate career, Moxley played two seasons in the National Women's Hockey League.
Starting Strong - When the Colonials grasp the early lead, they are more than likely going to hold that advantage. Last season the Colonials were 4-2-0 when leading after the first period and 7-1-0 when leading after the second period. After five weeks of competition the Colonials are 3-0-0 when leading after the first period and 3-0-0 when leading after the second period. In addition, the Colonials are 2-1 when they put the first puck of the game in.
Sharing the Wealth - The Colonials really know how to play as a team, which is shown from the fact that in all of Robert Morris' wins this season different players have scored the game-winning goal. Against Minnesota, Jacki Gibson tallied the game clinching goal, in the Colonials' two contests against Syracuse Sara O'Malley and Megan Picinic put in the game-winners and in the Colonials' most recent win freshman Brianna Delaney scored the deciding goal.
A Pittsburgh Penguin Product ? It will not be freshman defenseman Paige Pietrangelo's first residence in the steel city as she embarks on her hockey career at Robert Morris. The rookie spent the first year of her life in Pittsburgh, as her father Frank Pietrangelo competed as a goalie for the Penguins from 1987-92.
Pietrangelo quickly became a fan favorite upon his arrival with the Penguins, and although playing back-up to Tom Barrasso for most of his time in Pittsburgh, he is remembered by Penguin fans for his clutch performance in the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the sixth game of the first round against the New Jersey Devils, Pietrangelo was put in the game late in the first period and was faced one-on-one with Peter Stastny. Pietrangelo dove to his left and made a remarkable glove save, which is known to this day in Penguin hockey history as “The Save”. The Penguins ended up winning game six 4-3 to force a game seven in which Pietrangelo earned a 4-0 shut-out win. The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup that season, with Pietrangelo contributing a 4-1 record. throughout the playoffs.
Mile High to Motor City - Before coming to Robert Morris to play hockey, sophomore Whitney Pappas relocated once before to play the game. Moving from the untraditional hockey area of Colorado, Pappas took her game to the booming area of Detroit, Michigan, where she played her senior season with Belle Tire in pursuit of Division I opportunities.
Making Defensive Strides ? Since the start of Robert Morris hockey, the Colonials defensive skills have been a major force in their success. Each year, the Colonials have been able to hold their opponents to fewer goals than the year before. In the inaugural season, RMU allowed its opponents to 131 goals and improved that number to 116 goals in 2006-07. This past season the Colonials broke the 100 hurdle, giving up only 99 goals.
Home Grown Talent ? The Robert Morris University women's ice hockey team didn't look far to find good talent when they had it right in their backyard. Seniors Jenny Monteleone and Angela Kost both hail from the state of Pennsylvania, while teammate senior Brianne McLaughlin is from the neighboring state of Ohio.
Home Sweet Home ? The women's ice hockey team will have all the luxuries of the RMU Island Sports Center for 18 games this season, including eight straight home games in the month of November. The Colonials opened up the home and conference season on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11 against CHA newcomer Syracuse and came out victorious in both contests. The wins over Syracuse mark the first time the Colonials have started out the home season undefeated. Last season, the Colonials had most of their success at the RMU Island Sports Center, earning seven of their 12 wins on home ice.
Two is Always Better- The Riley sisters are the first set of twins to play a sport for the Colonials since the Aloi sisters, Natalie and Nicole, played softball and graduated from Robert Morris in 2001.
