Box Score
Pittsburgh, Pa. - Senior assistant captain Brianna Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / NCCP Raiders) notched her sixth-career three-point game, courtesy of two goals and an assist, to tie the RMU all-time record for career points as the Robert Morris University women's hockey team won its second game in as many days, 7-2, to sweep its season-opening series from Lindenwood Saturday afternoon at the RMU Island Sports Center.
Delaney's 24th-career multi-point game moved her career point total to 97, equaling the Colonial program record that Sara O'Malley set during the 2010-11 campaign. She notched her ninth-career multi-goal game in the process, extending her own program record in that category, while tallying at least one point in her seventh-consecutive game, the third-best streak in school history.
Delaney's younger sister, junior Cobina Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / Ottawa Senators), matched her sibling's point output by providing one score and two helpers, all within a 10:50 span, notching her sixth multi-point game and second-career three-point effort. Cobina's first three-point performance came Jan. 23, 2010, a day that Brianna also registered a trio of points.
Each of the sisters, who tied for game high honors with a +4 plus/minus, had a goal in which the other sibling providing the primary assist. Eight of Cobina's last nine goals have been assisted by Brianna while the younger sister provided a helper to the older sibling for the third time in their careers.
Robert Morris engineered an offensive onslaught for the second straight game as the Colonials tallied a single-game school record 61 shots, including a single-period program record 29 in the third frame alone. RMU held the Lady Lions to just 18 total shots, which allowed them to also reset their previous best in shots on goal margin over an opponent. Robert Morris had 17 of its 18 skaters record shots with seven different players, including two defensemen, collecting at least five shots apiece.
The rookie duo that highlighted Robert Morris' season opener with three points each continued its display Saturday. Freshmen Katie Fergus (Oakville, Ontario / Burlington Jr. Barracudas) and Rebecca Vint (Caledon, Ontario / Brampton Junior Thunder) became just the second and third Colonials in program history, and the first freshmen ever, to notch multi-point efforts in the first two games of a season. Fergus notched her first multi-goal game Saturday while Vint added one goal and one assist to the Colonial cause.
Robert Morris dominated the early stages of the game, tallying a 10-2 margin in shots in the opening 10 minutes, and the perseverance soon paid off. With the teams skating even 4-on-4, Brianna Delaney found the net courtesy of her younger sister at the 10:51 mark to put RMU on top. Similar to its first period Friday night, once Robert Morris found the net, it didn't take long to double its advantage. Junior Kelsey Thomas (Hamilton, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) put one home fewer than four minutes later as Cobina Delaney again provided the assist to make it 2-0.
RMU would kill off a two-minute man advantage late in the first without allowing a single shot on goal to take its two-goal lead into intermission.
Continuing its trend of repeating portions of Friday's game, the Colonials lit the lamp early in the second period once again when Cobina Delaney factored into a goal for the third time in fewer than 11 minutes. This time, the junior scored thanks to her older sister with defenseman Jamie Joslin (Richmond Hill, Ontario / Aurora Panthers) adding an assist as well to record a point in her second straight game.
Lindenwood refused to go away, though, and begin to fight back over the middle portions of the second stanza. The Lady Lions put home two power-play goals, including one on a 5-on-3 advantage, within 3:15 to suddenly jump right back into the action, trailing just 3-2.
RMU collected itself, however, and a freshman soon righted the ship when Fergus scored at the 15:49 mark with sophomore Thea Imbrogno (Etobicoke, Ontario / Mississauga Jr. Chiefs) providing the helper to once again give Robert Morris a two-goal intermission cushion.
The hosts absolutely dominated the final frame and put the game away early in the period when Brianna Delaney and Vint each scored an unassisted tally within the first three minutes of play. RMU held an amazing 29-2 shots margin in the final 20 minutes and Fergus put the icing on the cake with a goal in the final minutes.
Freshman goaltender Courtney Vinet (Camrose, Alberta / Edge School) earned the win in her collegiate debut as she did not allow an even-strength goal in her 60 minutes of action. Combined with RMU's effort Friday night, this marked the first time in program history that the Colonials have not allowed a single even-strength goal in either of their first two games in a season.
RMU won 46 of the 74 faceoffs contested while Brianna Delaney added to her memorable night by going a stunning 19-for-22 at the dot.
Robert Morris will look for its third win in three tries next weekend when as it hosts a two-game set against Minnesota State. The Colonials and Mavericks will meet Friday, Oct. 14, at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2:05 p.m.