Box Score Pittsburgh, Pa. ? Feb. 7, 2009 ? The Robert Morris University Colonials overwhelmed the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a 12-0 shutout on Saturday night at the RMU Island Sports Center. En route to the impressive victory, the Colonials notched three short-handed goals, which is a new NCAA record.
Sophomore Maria Stoa (Bloomington, Minn. / Eden Prairie) led the way for the Colonials, scoring her first career hat trick and first Colonial hat trick of the season, while also adding an assist for a four point night. Freshman Brianna Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / NCCP Raiders) and junior Chelsea Walkland (Pittsford, N.Y. / Rochester Edge) also had superb nights, with Delaney recording a pair of goals and a pair of assists and Walkland leading the team in assists with four, while also adding a goal for a five point night. Delaney's four points increases her season point total to 27, making her the Colonial's all-time leader in rookies scoring and gave her the season record for points and goals with 15.
Every dressed skater scored a point in the win except one. In addition to Stoa, Delaney and Walkland, four players had multiple point nights. Kylie Rossler (Regina Saskatchewan / Regina Rebels), Morgan Beikirch (Livonia, N.Y. / Buffalo Bison), Kristen Miles (London, Ontario / London Devilettes) and Megan Picinic (Cliffside Park, N.J. / Princeton Tigerlilies) each added a goal and an assist.
In addition to the impressive offense, sophomore netminder Daneca Butterfield (Kronau, Saskatchewan / Notre Dame Hounds) captured her first shutout of the season and Robert Morris's second shutout of the season
The Colonials scored the first goal of the game eight seconds in, which is the second fastest Colonial score all-time and scored their final goal with six seconds left in the game. The quickest goal RMU scored was within seven seconds of the dropped puck and was also against the SHU Pioneers in 2007-08.
The game got started when Stoa won the opening face-off and sent the puck to Beikirch on the far side of the ice. Beikirch triggered a hard shot that landed perfectly in the left corner of the net.
At 7:24 Stoa scored her first goal of the season on a power-play, which was the start of her hat trick. Picinic sent the puck to Stoa who was waiting in front of the net to tip it in. Freshman Kathryn Stack (Edmonton, Alberta / Edmonton Thunder) was credited with the second assist.
Miles closed out the first period with a goal at 18:19, with a play that looked similar to Stoa's goal. The senior captain was parked in front of the net, grabbed a pass from freshman Paige Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) and struck the net. Pietrangelo's assist marked her first point of the season, while Walkland also tallied an assist on the play. Robert Morris entered the second period with a three goal advantage.
The second period began with a breakaway play by Delaney, with Walkland tallying her second consecutive assist of the night. Walkland intercepted the biscuit from a Pioneer skater, handed of the puck to Delaney, who skated the puck through the defense and past SHU netminder Amanda Nagel.
Nearly three minutes later Delaney scored her second goal of the night when she found a rebound shot made by Walkland, slid the puck out of the mob with her hand and with a back-handed shot on her knees struck net. The goal marked the Colonials first of three short-handed goals
Sophomore Sara O'Malley (Guelph, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) closed out the second period with a power-play goal at 14:26. The sophomore lit the lamp from just inside the blue line, with junior Jacki Gibson (Burlington Ontario / Burlington Barracudas) and Walkland adding the assists to increase the Colonial lead to 6-0.
At 4:59 in the third period, Rossler captured her fifth goal of the season and the second short-handed goal of the night to begin the Colonials' chain of six goals made in the third period.
Nearly two minutes later Stoa collected her second goal of the game on another short-handed play, which was unassisted and 25 seconds later Picinic scored Robert Morris's 10th goal of the game off assists from Rossler and Dorman.
At 9:04 Walkland grabbed a pass from Delaney and Miles and found the net for her first goal of the game and fifth point and at 11:42 Stoa officially earned her hat trick, with senior Jenny Monteleone (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Ohio Flames) and Beikirch dishing out the helpers.
With six seconds left on the clock, senior Kathryn Traynor (Toronto, Ontario / Toronto Jr. Aeros) slipped the puck into the net to finalize the 12-0 score.
Robert Morris outshot Sacred Heart 53 to 22 and was two-for-five on the power-play. A total of 10 RMU penalties were committed, giving the Pioneers seven extra-man opportunities, but they were never able to connect.
Butterfield ended the night with 21 saves, allowing no goals for a perfect saving average, while Nagel finished the night with 35 saves and SHU's backup goalie Raelene Sydor tallied six.
The Colonials return to action on Feb. 13-14 in Erie, Pa. for a rematch against CHA foe No. 3 Mercyhurst, with both games starting at 7:00 p.m.
