Pittsburgh, Pa. - After recording a thrilling comeback victory Friday night against Minnesota State, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team was unable to produce a rally again Saturday as the Colonials fell to the Mavericks, 3-1, to split the series at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Despite the defeat, freshman Rebecca Vint (Caledon, Ontario / Brampton Junior Thunder) continued the torrid offensive start to her rookie campaign by tallying a third-period shorthanded goal. Vint's first-career shorthanded score gave her at least one goal in each of the four games thus far, allowing her to become the first freshman since the 2007-08 season to notch goals in four consecutive contests. Vint already has six goals and nine points on the young season, both program records for any Colonial after the first four games of a season.

Vint's tally was assisted by sophomore Thea Imbrogno (Etobicoke, Ontario / Mississauga Jr. Chiefs), who registered a point in her 13th-consecutive regular-season game in the process. Imbrogno now has five assists in the 2011-12 season, also the most by any Colonial ever after just four games.

After RMU successfully killed off a Maverick power play in the opening 10 minutes of the first, Minnesota State got on the board at the 10:07 mark when Kathleen Rogan scored off a sharp pass from teammate Lauren Barnes. Robert Morris soon amped up the pressure, looking for the tying score, as Robert Morris outshot the Mavericks, 8-1, over the final six minutes of the frame, but it was to no avail.

Minnesota State soon took control of the game by scoring a pair of power-play goals in under 70 seconds. The Mavericks were granted a 5-on-3 chance fewer than two minutes into the second, putting the Colonials at a marked disadvantage. Minnesota State only had one shot attempt during the two-man advantage, but that was all it would take for the guests to double their lead at the 2:10 mark. Once they had found a successful power-play formula, the Mavericks soon duplicated the feat, taking a 3-0 advantage fewer than four minutes into the second stanza.

RMU was unable to get its offense clicking in the second period, leaving the hosts down by a trio entering the final frame.

Minnesota State received another power play early in the third, but it was the Colonial offense that actually benefited from the penalty. After intercepting a pass in the defensive zone, Imbrogno sent the puck ahead to Vint who began racing down the ice. Despite multiple Maverick defenders flanking her, Vint cut from the left side toward the middle of the ice and beat the goaltender in traffic to put Robert Morris on the board.

Even though it outshot the Mavericks in the third period, RMU was not able to cut further into the lead and dropped its first game of the 2011-12 campaign, falling to 3-1-0 on the year.

Vint's goal kept alive RMU's streak of consecutive games without being shutout. Robert Morris has now played a program-record 47 consecutive games in which it has scored at least once.

The loss for RMU was its first in its past seven home games while Vint's goal was Robert Morris' second shorthanded tally of the season, which already surpasses last season's yearly total.

Robert Morris has only conceded three even-strength goals in its first four contests this season.

With its season-opening four-game homestand in the rearview mirror, Robert Morris will now hit the road for an extended record-setting stretch as it does not play at home again until Dec. 9. The Colonials play a program-record nine consecutive games away from home as the trip will have them play six different teams. The first opponent for Robert Morris will be RPI as the two squads meet for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Colonials and Engineers are scheduled to meet Friday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 22.