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No. 10 Robert Morris (14-3-1, 6-1-1 CHA) vs. RIT (9-7-1, 4-1-1 CHA)
Friday, December 6, 2013 / 84 Lumber Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa. / 7:05 PM
Saturday, December 7, 2013 / 84 Lumber Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa. / 3:05 PM

Top Story – Robert Morris extended its unbeaten streak to seven games and improved its overall record to 14-3-1 after two wins last week at Ohio State and against Maine. The 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes saw the Colonials win thanks to a third period goal for the second-straight game, while those who watched the 4-2 win over the Black Bears witnessed Brittany Howard score a career-high four goals. For the second-straight week, RMU stayed in both national polls as the 10th ranked team and enter this weekend's matchup with RIT on top of the CHA.
 

 
Series vs. RIT – The Colonials have played the Tigers seven times in their history, but have won just twice - both of those victories coming in the 2007-08 season. RMU has dropped four of their last five meetings with RIT, and went 0-3-1 against the Tigers last season. The Colonials dropped a pair of one-goal games (2-1, 2-1) to RIT at 84 Lumber Arena, and managed a tie (2-2) in the road slate of the series.
 
Scouting RIT – RIT comes into this weekend's series with an overall record of 9-7-1, and a CHA mark of 4-1-1 - which ranks the Tigers second in the conference. RIT holds non-conference wins at New Hampshire and against Vermont, and also knocked off Mercyhurst for the first time in school history on Nov. 22. Junior goaltender Ali Binnington won three-straight CHA Goaltender of the Week awards from Nov. 11-25, and ranks second in the conference in save percentage (.933), third in goals-against-average (1.97), and tied for third in shutouts (3). Senior forward Kourtney Kunichika leads the Tigers in points with 12 (5 goals, 7 assists).

Last Time Out – Because of Thanksgiving, Robert Morris played single games at Ohio State on Tuesday and with Maine on Friday. The "strange" week didn't hinder the Colonials' progress, as their unbeaten streak reached seven games (6-0-1) with two wins.
 
RMU first defeated the Buckeyes - who were led by former Colonial head coach Nate Handrahan - by a score of 2-1. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State struck first with a goal from Claudia Kepler five minutes into the second frame. Both the scoreless opening period and early deficit marked the third-straight time that had happened in a game.
 
However, the Colonials would answer three and a half minutes later. Brandi Pollock corralled the puck along the right boards before passing it up to Kristen Richards, who was skating towards the blue line. Richards deked the lone defenseman in her path and caught the Buckeye goaltender off-balance, then dished it off to Brittany Howard, who buried the puck into the open net.
 
With 4:13 remaining in the final period, Rebecca Vint scored her second-straight game-winning goal. Howard skated into the offensive zone with the puck and fired a shot at net. The puck was initally saved, but the netminder couldn't hold onto it, leading to a scramble in front of the net. Vint eventually found the puck and batted it in for the deciding goal.
 
Jessica Dodds made 19 saves in the win, including three during the last three minutes of play.
 
Friday's 4-2 victory over the Black Bears didn't have the same kind of drama, but it did feature a historic performance from a freshman forward.
 
Brittany Howard tallied all four goals for RMU, giving her the third-highest single-game total in program history. Vint and Thea Imbrogno assisted on three of the goals, while Richards also notched a helper.
 
Staying Power – For the second-straight week, Robert Morris made the Top 10 of the USCHO.com and USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine polls, slotting in at 10th. Last week was the first time ever that the Colonials cracked the national rankings.
 
RMU received 24 points in the USCHO.com Poll and 27 in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine rankings, surpassing the respective 14 and 16 points from last week.
 
The Colonials now sit eight and 11 points out of ninth, which is held by Boston University. RMU split a series with the Terriers at 84 Lumber Arena on Oct. 18-19.
 
This is the seventh week in which the Colonials have been recognized by a national poll. RMU was in both rankings' 'receiving votes' categories for four straight weeks prior to cracking into the Top 10, and earned two votes in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Poll after a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Junior Aeros in exhibition play.
 
Welcome to the 100 Club – Thea Imbrogno made history last Friday, as she became the second Colonial to reach the 100-point barrier.
 
Imbrogno notched her 99th point with a goal in RMU's 2-1 win at Syracuse on Nov. 23, but was held without a point the following game at Ohio State. However, with less than nine minutes remaining in the second period of the Colonials' game against Maine, Imbrogno found Brittany Howard for a goal and hit the triple-digit mark.
 
The senior assistant captain notched two more assists in the 4-2 victory, moving her career point total to 102. Imbrogno now sits 19 points out of first place in the RMU record books, which is held by Brianna Delaney (2008-12).
 
A Clean Sweep – For the first time in program history, Robert Morris swept the CHA's monthly awards, as announced in the conference's release on Tuesday.
 
Rebecca Vint was named CHA Player of the Month following a 10-point November. Vint registered five goals and five assists, blocked 16 shots, and compiled a plus/minus of +5 in nine games. Three of the forward's five November goals came in the third period of a game, including back-to-back game-winners at Syracuse and Ohio State.
 
For the second time this season, Jessica Dodds was honored by the CHA for her month-long play. Dodds won CHA Goaltender of the Month, after capturing Rookie of the Month for October. The netminder made seven starts in November and compiled a record of 6-0-1, a goals-against-average of 1.27, and a save percentage of .940.
 
Also for the second time this season, Brittany Howard was the recipient of a CHA monthly award. Last month, Howard was named CHA Player of the Month and coupled that honor with Rookie of the Month this time around. The forward notched 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in eight games and registered a least a point in four of her last five games after previously having a nine-game point streak snapped.
 
Black Friday Special – Brittany Howard probably had some goals on her Black Friday shopping list, as the freshman scored four of them in the Colonials' 4-2 win over Maine.
 
The four-goal effort is a new career-high for the forward, who had six goals coming into last Friday's meeting with the Black Bears. The performance was also the first hat trick for a RMU player since Rebecca Vint reached the mark on Nov. 12, 2012 at Penn State, and the first for a CHA player this season.
 
Howard's four goals fell just shy of the program's all-time single-game record of five, which is currently held by Vint on that aforementioned day against the Nittany Lions and Megan Picinic on Oct. 27, 2006 against Chatham.
 
Road Warriors – Playing away from your home confines is tough in any sport, but Robert Morris has excelled outside 84 Lumber Arena this season. The Colonials are 6-0-1 on the road, with just a tie on Nov. 22 against Syracuse as their only non-victory away from the Steel City.
 
RMU has swept two teams in their home arenas, beating Bemidji State (2-1, 3-0) in early September and Penn State (4-0, 6-0) on the week of Halloween.
 
On the road, the Colonials have averaged 2.86 goals-per-game and have allowed just 0.57 goals-per-game. In comparison, RMU has averaged 2.82 goals-per-game and allowed 2.36 goals-per-game at home.
 
Know Your Enemy – Last season's four meetings with RIT were the first time any of the current Colonials have seen the Tigers in their careers.
 
Seven current RMU players registered a point against the Tigers in 2012-13, but only two of them - Kristen Richards (1 goal, 1 assist) and Katelyn Scott (1 goal, 1 assist) - tallied multiple points.
 
The other five players who have notched a point against RIT are: Kylie St. Louis, Leah Carlson, Rebecca Vint, Anneline Lauziere, and Maddie Collias.
 
Quick Learning Curve – Robert Morris has gotten off to its best start in program history, and part of that has to do with some individual performances that rank among the nation's best.
 
Freshman forward Brittany Howard leads all freshmen in goals (10), assists (15), and points (25), and ranks tied for ninth, tied for seventh, and tied for fifth in those respective categories, nationally. Howard also leads the nation in game-winning goals with four.
 
Fellow classmate Jessica Dodds leads the nation in winning percentage (.958), and ranks seventh in goals-against-average (1.48). Both of those marks, as well as her save percentage (.931) and shutouts (3) are best among freshmen.
 
I'll Take the Saturday Special – The Colonials have enjoyed Saturdays moreso than Friday evenings in this early season, as they have won all seven games played on the weekend's first day.
 
Robert Morris has used Saturdays as bounce-back days this year, with three of those seven weekend wins coming after a Friday loss. The Colonials did this in their opening series against RPI, as they outlasted the Engineers in overtime to win 3-2, and then picked up a big 3-0 victory against No. 7/8 Boston University following a 5-2 loss the night before. RMU also came back from a 2-0 defeat to Mercyhurst with a 3-2 victory to split the series.
 
The Colonials also have clinched three sweeps on Saturdays, as they beat Bemidji State 3-0 on Oct. 12, Vermont 6-4 on Oct. 26, and Lindenwood 3-1 last Saturday.
 
RMU is scoring an average of 3.29 goals per game on Saturdays, while allowing just 1.43 goals per game. On Fridays, the Colonials average just 2.44 goals per game and give up 2.11.
 
Record Watch – Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno ranks in the career top five in Robert Morris program history for points, goals and assists. 18 games into 2013-14 season, Imbrogno ranks second in career points and career assists. Imbrogno also ranks fourth in career goals scored with 45. 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. 18 games into the 2013-14 season, Vint ranks fourth in career points, and third in 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.
 
Career Points
121 – Brianna Delaney (53g, 68a)
102 – Thea Imbrogno (45g, 57a)
97 – Sara O'Malley (52g, 45a)
94 – Rebecca Vint (47g, 47a)
75 – Kelsey Thomas (32g, 43a)
75 – Kristen Miles (43g, 32a)

Career Goals
53 – Brianna Delaney
52 – Sara O'Malley
47 – Rebecca Vint
45 – Thea Imbrogno
43 – Kristen Miles
 
Career Assists
68 – Brianna Delaney
54 – Thea Imbrogno
47 – Rebecca Vint
45 – Sara O'Malley
43 – Kelsey Thomas
 
Looking Back – The Colonials have played twice on Dec. 7 in their history and came out victorious both times.
 
Naturally, RMU's first game on this day was against this weekend's opponent, RIT. The Colonials knocked off the Tigers, 2-1, thanks to two unanswered goals in the final 23 and a half minutes of play.
 
After a scoreless first 20 minutes, RIT struck first with a power play goal 9:26 into the second period. They held that lead until three and a half minutes remained in the period, when Jacki Gibson found the back of the net off passes from Megan Picinic and Kristen Miles. The deciding goal came with 2:52 left in the game as Alissa Dorman scored off passes form Maria Olausson and Whitney Pappas.
 
Brianne McLaughlin made 16 saves in the win. RMU would go on to sweep the Tigers and collect their only two wins against their now-CHA foe.
 
In their other game played on Dec. 7, the Colonials knocked off No. 4/5 Mercyhurst at 84 Lumber Area, 3-1.
 
Eight and a half minutes into the game, Kristen Richards lit the lamp on the power play off passes from Rebecca Vint and Kelsey Thomas. The Lakers would tie it with 4:09 remaining in the first period, and the score would hold at 1-1 for the next 38:08 before RMU scored the decider on another power play - this one from Katie Fergus with assists to Thea Imbrogno and Vint. Vint put the cherry on top of the win with an unassisted goal near the end of the contest.
 
Kristen DiCiocco stopped 19 of 20 shots in the win. The Colonials would go on to sweep their in-state rivals for the first time ever.