Box Score Pittsburgh, Pa. - February 6, 2010 - Despite a heavy snowstorm, the Robert Morris University Colonials took on the No. 1/2 Mercyhurst Lakers on Saturday evening for game two of the series at the RMU Island Sports Center and fell 9-2. The Lakers scored five goals in the first period to propel them to the commanding victory.
With the loss the Colonials drop to 7-20-1 overall and 0-9-1 in CHA play, while the Lakers improve to 23-2-3 and 10-1-1 in the league.
Junior Sara O'Malley (Guelph, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) and sophomore Brianna Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / NCCP Raiders) both scored goals in the victory, while the Lakers were paced by Melissa Lacroix and Jess Jones who both added two goals in the Lakers' victory. Jones also added an assist in the game for a three-point performance, while Jesse Scanzano led the team with three helpers.
Within the first six minutes of the first period both the Lakers and Colonials managed to score four-on-four goals after both teams were called for penalties. Lacroix scored the first goal at 5:09 off an assist by Ashley Cockell and Jones. The Colonials immediately responded when O'Malley skated through heavy Mercyhurst traffic to the net and beat sophomore goalie Hillary Pattenden to tie the game 1-1. Junior Maria Stoa (Bloomington, Minn. / Eden Prairie) and senior Whitney Pappas (Evergreen, Co. / Belle Tire) were both credited with assists on the play.
The next nine minutes remained relatively quiet, but then at 15:05 Jones lit the lamp off an assist from Scanzano. The Lakers scored two more times within the next three minutes, both off helpers from Vicki Bendus, to give them a 4-1 lead.
Delaney came to the rescue for the Colonials and flipped the puck high into the Mercyhurst net on an unassisted play at 18:57 to cut the Lakers lead down to two.
However, at 19:16 Mercyhurst took back their three goal lead when Bram found the net off another Scanzano assist to set the score at 5-2 heading into the second frame.
The Colonial defense stepped up in the second period and allowed just one goal by Lauren Jones at the 10:07 mark off an assist by Cassea Schols
In the third period Scanzano was called for high sticking just 51 seconds into the session. The Colonials took advantage and pulled their goalie to gain a 6-on-4 advantage, but Schols intercepted the puck and found the empty net to make it a five-goal game.
The Lakers scored two more times before the end of regulation, with their last goal coming from Johanna Malmstrom. The goal marked her first of the season.
The Lakers outshot the Colonials 42 to 13 and went 3-for-7 on the power play, while holding the Colonials scoreless on seven attempts. Junior goalie Daneca Butterfield (Kronau, Saskatchewan / Notre Dame Hounds) tallied 26 saves in the defeat and freshman Kristen DiCiocco (Niagara Falls, Ontario / Stoney Creek Sabres) added seven stops. Pattenden tallied nine saves for the Lakers, while teammate Stephanie Ciampa chipped in two.
The Colonials head to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on the Syracuse Orange on Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13. Both games have a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.
