Box Score St. Cloud, Minn. - The Robert Morris University women's hockey team closed out one of the most successful months in program history in fitting fashion as the Colonials opened the scoring and never trailed en route to a 3-1 road victory over St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon at the National Hockey Center.
Robert Morris moved to 6-1-1 with the win, its best eight-game start in program history, as the Colonials registered six victories in any single calendar month for just the second time in school history. RMU has not lost any of its past six two-game series and also notched its sixth output this season of at least three goals, moving to 6-0-0 in such contests.
Senior assistant captain Brianna Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / NCCP Raiders) tallied the game's lone multi-point effort by contributing an assist on the game's opening goal and scoring the game-winner herself later in the contest. With the two points, Delaney, who sported a +2 plus/minus, tied the RMU program record with her 26th-career multi-point game while also notching her second game-winning goal in the team's last three contests.
Freshman Rebecca Vint (Caledon, Ontario / Brampton Junior Thunder) continued the remarkable start to her collegiate career by tallying at least one point in her eighth consecutive game courtesy of a third-period primary assist. Vint's eight-game point streak is tied for the second longest in school history as the rookie has now tallied 17 points after just eight games.
Junior defenseman Jamie Joslin (Richmond Hill, Ontario / Aurora Panthers) also continued the strong offensive start to her season by scoring the game's opening goal to collect her seventh point in eight games this season. The goal was Joslin's 20th-career point, the most among all active Colonial defenseman, and she also added a +2 plus/minus on the afternoon.
Junior netminder Kristen DiCiocco (Niagara Falls, Ontario / Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres) recorded the win in net for RMU by making 27 stops, lowering her season goals against average to 1.69. DiCiocco has played a large role in Robert Morris allowing a mere six even-strength goals in its eight games thus far.
Unlike Friday evening's affair between the teams when St. Cloud jumped out to an early lead, Robert Morris was the one to strike first Saturday. Joslin scored just 3:26 into the game and was assisted by sisters Cobina Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / Ottawa Senators) and Brianna Delaney. With the helper, Cobina Delaney, who also sported a +2 plus/minus, registered an assist in her third straight game for the first time in her career.
The Huskies tried to soon find the equalizer and fired 13 shots in total at DiCiocco in the first, but RMU held firm to maintain its one-goal edge into the intermission.
RMU would double its lead fewer than six minutes into the second stanza when Brianna Delaney lit the lamp courtesy of junior Kelsey Thomas (Hamilton, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) and senior assistant captain Kathryn Stack (Edmonton, Alberta / Edmonton Thunder). Thomas' assist gave her a four-game point streak for the first time in her career while Stack's helper was the first of the season for the veteran.
St. Cloud State would cut the lead in half fewer than eight minutes later when Brittany Toor put home a power-play tally that occurred with just one second remaining on the man-advantage.
With Robert Morris leading by just a lone goal, DiCiocco protected the advantage, spanning the second and third periods, by making six saves on shots that would have tied the game. Her teammates gave her some breathing room, not that she would need it, near the midpoint of the third when sophomore Thea Imbrogno (Etobicoke, Ontario / Mississauga Jr. Chiefs) found the net at the 10:20 mark with Vint adding the assist. Imbrogno now has at least one point in 17 of her last 19 games.
St. Cloud State was given a chance to get back into the game in the closing minutes when it was granted a power play, but the Colonial penalty-kill was up to the task as it killed off the two-minute advantage, aided by DiCiocco's four saves, to help put the finishing touches on the victory.
Robert Morris is far from done with its program-record stretch away from home, but the Colonials will at least get a weekend off before travelling to another locale. RMU will next hit the ice Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13, as it travels to the state of Missouri for the first time in program history where it will meet Lindenwood for a two-game set.
