Box Score
Pittsburgh, Pa. ? Nov. 21, 2008 - In the Robert Morris University Colonial's fifth-straight home game, the Colonials rallied back from a 2-1 deficit against the Rensselaer Engineers on Friday evening to end the game knotted 2-2 at Clearview Arena. Senior Kristen Miles (London Ontario / London Devilettes) tallied both Colonial goals and senior netminder Brianne McLaughlin (Sheffield Village, Ohio / Ohio Flames) finished the game with 56 saves, which is her second best performance of the season.
Despite being outshot 17 to eight in the first period, Robert Morris notched the first and only goal of the opening period at 12:35. Miles grabbed a pass from sophomore Sara O'Malley (Guelph, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) and senior Samantha Ullrich (St. Louis, Mo. / Team Illinois U-19) and snuck the puck past Rensselaer goalie Sonja van der Bliek to earn the 1-0 lead during a five on three power-play.
The Engineers came into the second period on the attack, firing off shot after shot. In a reversal of events, RPI took advantage of their own five on three opportunity and scored at 5:06 in the second period. Rensselaer's Melissa Boik tallied her third goal of the season with Sydney O'Keefe and Whitney Naslund adding the assists.
The Colonials were unable to get a shot off in the second period, while the Rensselaer Engineers triggered off 24 shots. However, McLaughlin efficiently secured the net allowing only one goal.
In the third period, RPI started things off with a goal at 4:11 when Alisa Harrison blasted a shot from 20 feet off on the left side of the ice to earn the one goal lead. Lau Guillemette and Amanda Castignetti recorded the assists.
In a final act to tie things up RMU pulled McLaughlin with a minute left in regulation, while on a power-play to gain the six on four advantage. With 15 seconds left in the period, Miles captured the game-tying goal when she grabbed the rebound off of sophomore Whitney Pappas's (Evergreen, Co. / Belle Tire) shot and tapped it into the left side of the net. Maria Stoa (Bloomington, Minn. / Eden Prairie) and Pappas were credited with assists.
Neither team was able to connect in overtime, ending the game in a 2-2 tie. RPI outshot the Colonials 58 to 18 and won 32 face-offs to RMU's 28.
The Colonials return to the Robert Morris Island Sports Center tomorrow to take on RPI in game of two of the series at 7:35 p.m.
