Women's Hockey 10/29/2013 7:04:00 PM

RMU Begins CHA Play at Penn State

The Colonials open up CHA play at Penn State for a two-game series, starting on Thursday

Robert Morris Colonials (6-2-0) @ Penn State Nittany Lions (2-5-1)
Thursday, Oct. 31 / Pegula Ice Arena - State College, Pa. / 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1 / Pegula Ice Arena - State College, Pa. / 4:00 p.m.

Top Story - After a sweep last weekend against Vermont, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team will look to extend their winning streak past a season-high three games as they take to the road this week to face College Hockey America (CHA) foe Penn State. The Colonials' offense exploded against ths Catamounts, racking up 10 goals - the highest a RMU team has scored in a two-game series since Nov. 10-11, 2012 when they compiled 11 against Penn State. Forwards Maeve Garvey and Anissa Gamble tallied multi-goal games, and senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno scored two power play goals on the weekend.

Series vs. Penn State - RMU is 4-0-0 against Penn State in their history, with all four of those victories coming in the 2012-13 season - the Nittany Lions' first as a varsity program. The Colonials traveled to University Park, Pa. on Nov. 10-11, 2012 for their inaugural series with Penn State, and swept them in two games by the combined score of 11-2 (7-1, 4-1). Then-sophomore Rebecca Vint scored a program single-game high five goals in the opening contest and added a sixth in Game 2. RMU then welcomed the Nittany Lions to 84 Lumber Arena for Senior Day weekend, and earned their second sweep by a combined tally of 8-3 (4-1, 4-2). Vint scored twice more in that series and will carry a goals-per-game average of 2.00 going into this week's set of games.

Scouting Penn State - Penn State comes into this week's series with a record of 2-5-1, earning their two wins at Vermont and at home against Union. Sophomore forward Shannon Yoxheimer currently ranks tied for fourth in the CHA in points (8) and tied for sixth in assists (5), while classmate Celine Whitlinger is in the conference's top five in save percentage (.935 - t-2nd), goals-against-average (2.52 - 4th), and saves (144 - 5th). The Nittany Lions finished last season - their first as a Division I program - with a mark of 7-26-2, and 1-17-2 in CHA play.

Last Time Out - The Colonials extended their winning streak to three games - which matches a season-high for consecutive wins - as they swept Vermont this past weekend.

RMU edged out the Catamounts on Friday night, 4-3. Freshman forward Maeve Garvey registered the first multi-goal game for the Colonials on the season, while classmate Jessica Dodds earned her second-straight start between the pipes.

Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno led off the scoring at the 9:08 mark of the first period with a strike off the power play. Garvey would then extend the lead to 2-0 after deflecting a shot from senior defenseman Kylie St. Louis, but Vermont pulled within one after Kellie Dineen beat Dodds to end the freshman's shutout streak at 143:28.

Garvey added her second goal after batting in a rebound off a shot from senior defenseman Anneline Lauziere. Junior forward Rebecca Vint then beat the Catamount goaltender to make it 4-1, which gave the Colonials enough of a cushion to keep the lead despite two more goals by Vermont.

Sophomore forward Anissa Gamble's two goals in Saturday's contest helped give RMU the series sweep with a 6-4 victory.

The Colonials would strike first for the third straight game as junior Katelyn Scott lit the lamp for her first goal of the season. However, the Catamounts would storm back with two goals to take their first lead of the series.

Imbrogno evened it up with her second power play in as many games, then Vint tallied a score to give RMU a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Gamble made it 4-2 with the first goal of her career, but Vermont pulled within one off a power play strike from Delia McNally. However, the Colonials quickly stretched the lead to two once again as freshman forward Brittany Howard deked two Catamount defenders before finding the back of the net for her third goal of the season.

Vermont would pull within one once more off another power play opportunity, but Camble finished things off with her second career goal.

Dodds started both games and now is 5-0-0 on the year.

Under the Spotlight - The Colonials earned votes in both the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) and USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey polls this week, marking the first time in program history that RMU has been recognized in both national rankings.

The Colonials received two votes in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll, and one in the USCHO.com Poll.

The first time that RMU gained votes in a national poll this season was on Oct. 1, when they picked up two in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll after their 6-2 exhibition victory over the Toronto Junior Aeros.

The last time that the Colonials were recognized in the USCHO national rankings was in March 2012. RMU earned recognition that season after upsetting No. 6 Mercyhurst in the CHA Championship Game.

The Colonials were one of five teams to gain mention in the 'receiving votes' category of the USCHO.com Poll. Minnesota-Duluth, earlier opponent Boston University, New Hampshire, and November opponent Syracuse were also recognized. In the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll, RMU joined those four aforementioned teams and Ohio State in the 'receiving votes' section.

Storming Out of the Gates - A start of 6-2-0 means this is third straight season in which the Colonials compiled a winning record in their first eight games.

RMU's best start through eight games came in the 2011-12 CHA Championship year, as the Colonials began that campaign 6-1-1. RMU started with victories in their first three games before dropping the final game of a series to Minnesota State. The Colonials bounced back with a sweep at RPI and took a two-game set with St. Cloud State with a win and a tie.

RMU ended up winning four more games following the series with the Huskies, compiling a record of 10-1-1 before falling at Quinnipiac in the Nutmeg Classic, 3-2.

The Colonials also have gotten off to quick starts the past two seasons in CHA play, compiling a 3-0-1 mark in those four games. RMU swept Penn State last year at University Park, Pa., and earned a win and tie at home against Syracuse in 2011-12.

Honorable Howard - Freshman forward Brittany Howard has only been in a Robert Morris uniform for a month now, but she's already making her name known around the national women's college hockey scene.

With her five-point weekend against Vermont, Howard won her second CHA Rookie of the Week award of the season. The forward won her first two weeks earlier after registering three points in a sweep of Bemidji State.

Howard leads the CHA in assists (9) and is second in points (12). Nationally, she ranks tied for first and tied for sixth in those respective categories.

She's the first Colonial to win two Rookie of the Week awards since Rebecca Vint did it in 2011-12. Vint was honored six times during the season, which tied Thea Imbrogno's mark for mst in school history.

Twice as Nice - After going six games without a player registering a multi-goal game, the Colonials saw two players accomplish the feat against Vermont.

Freshman forward Maeve Garvey scored twice in a 4-3 victory over the Catamounts on Friday. Garvey first deflected a shot from senior defenseman Kylie St. Louis, then batted in a rebound from senior defenseman Anneline Lauziere.

It didn't take long for RMU to have a second player compile multiple goals in a game. Sophomore forward Anissa Gamble did it in Saturday's 6-4 win, scoring in the second and third periods to pick up the first two goals of her career.

Record Watch - Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno ranks in the career top five in Robert Morris program history for points, goals, and assists. Eight games into the 2013-14 season, Imbrogno ranks third in career points and second in career assists. Imbrogno also ranks fourth in career goals scored with 43. If she finishes the year similar to her previous three seasons, then she could end up threatening at the top marks in all of those categories.

Imbrogno also holds spots in the same categories for single season performance. She worked her way into the single-season record books after an impressive sophomore campaign. Imbrogno ranks second in single-season points, tied for fourth in single-season goals scored, and second in single-season assists.

Junior forward Rebecca Vint reset the single-season record book last season as a freshman, and added onto that with a successful sophomore campaign. Eight games into the 2013-14 season, Vint ranks fourth in career points and fifth in career goals and assists. She also holds the program's single-season records in points, goals, and assists, and cracked the top five in points (third) and goals (tied for fourth) after her second season.

If Imbrogno breaks Brianna Delaney's career marks in her senior campaign, Vint could topple them in her final season as a Colonial in 2014-15.

Looking Back - Robert Morris has played once on Halloween and once on Nov. 1 in their history.

The Colonials will look to erase the ghosts of Halloween 2008 this Thursday. RMU dropped their only game that they've played on Oct. 31 to future CHA opponent RIT, 2-1.

After the Tigers took an early 1-0 lead on the power play, the Colonials tied it with a goal from Jordan Riley. Alissa Dorman was credited with the assist.

However, RIT would win it with another power play chance in the third period. Daneca Butterfield made 15 saves on the contest.
RMU defeated Cornell the day after, 2-1, for their only win on Nov. 1.

The Big Red took a 1-0 lead 10 minutes into the first period, but the Colonials tied it three minutes later with a goal from Brianna Delaney. Delaney later scored the decider in the second period on the power play off passes from Kristen Miles and Samantha Ullrich.

Brianne McLaughlin made 37 saves as RMU moved to 4-4-0 on the season.

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