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No. 8/7 Robert Morris Colonials (19-3-2, 8-1-1 CHA) @ Mercyhurst Lakers (14-6-3, 7-2-1 CHA)
Friday, January 24, 2014 / Mercyhurst Ice Center – Erie, Pa. / 7:00 PM
Saturday, January 25, 2014 / Mercyhurst Ice Center – Erie, Pa. / 2:00 PM

Top Story – No. 8/7 Robert Morris returns to the College Hockey America slate of its schedule this weekend as the Colonials travel to Erie to take on in-state rival Mercyhurst. RMU extended its unbeaten streak to a nation's best 13 games following a tie and win at No. 10 Quinnipiac this past weekend - that victory moving Paul Colontino into first place in program history for career wins. The Lakers are two points behind the Colonials in the CHA standings and serve as the last team to beat RMU (2-0, Nov. 8, 2013).



Series vs. Mercyhurst – The Colonials are 6-33-1 all-time against Mercyhurst, but have held the upper hand lately with a record of 7-6-1 in the last 14 meetings. RMU split the first series with its in-state rivals this season, dropping the first game 2-0 before bouncing back to win 3-2 on Nov. 9, 2013. Prior to 2011-12, the Colonials were 0-27-0 against the Lakers.

Scouting Mercyhurst – At 14-6-3, Mercyhurst is on the cusp of the national rankings. The Lakers hold a record of 7-2-1 in conference, with their two defeats coming at the hands of Robert Morris and RIT. In non-conference play, Mercyhurst holds a win at No. 6 Clarkson and ties against the Golden Knights and No. 4/3 Cornell. Senior forward Christine Bestland leads the team in all three scoring categories (13-22-35) - the assist mark good for third in the nation, while the point total slots her fifth nationally. The Lakers' usual starter between the pipes is junior goaltender Amanda Makela, who leads the CHA in shutouts with 5. Makela sports a record of 12-6-3 along with a goals-against-average mark of 2.08 and a .924 save percentage.

Last Time Out – This past weekend Robert Morris traveled to Hamden, Conn. to take on Quinnipiac in its last non-conference series of the 2013-14 season, and its first game against a ranked foe as a nationally-ranked team.

In the series opener, the Colonials skated to a 1-1 tie with the Bobcats.

The first two periods were scoreless affairs, then Quinnipiac struck first with a goal 18 seconds into the final frame of regulation. With some help from a screen up front, Cydney Roesler rifled a shot that founds its way past Jessica Dodds.

RMU kept the score at 1-0 after killing off penalties from Ashley Vesci and Katie Fergus. With 4:28 remaining in regulation, Anneline Lauziere took advantage of a power play opportunity and scored off a pass from Rebecca Vint.

Dodds preserved the tie with four saves in overtime, including one where she got a pad on a deflection to keep the game going. In total, the freshman netminder made a career-high 36 saves.

After seeing a seven-game winning streak fall, the Colonials started a new one with a 5-1 victory in the rubber match.

The two teams played another scoreless first period, but unlike Friday's contest, RMU exploded for four goals in the second 20 minutes.
Vint broke the scoreless tie with a short-handed goal 20 seconds into the second period, and made history as the tally gave her the 50th goal and 100th point of her career.

Rikki Meilleur then got into the act, scoring the first goal of her career almost 12 minutes after Vint lit the lamp. The freshman found the puck two passes after the Colonials won a face-off and buried it behind an out-of-position Chelsea Laden.

Vint notched her second goal of the contest less than two minutes later, as the junior forward found the puck in a scrum and batted it in.
RMU finished off its second period offensive explosion with another goal from Lauziere. The senior defenseman, who hadn't scored more than one goal in a season through her first three years, tallied her second in two games off a one-timer from Vint.

The Bobcats ruined Dodds' shutout attempt with a goal from Shelby Wignall, but Thea Imbrogno answered with a breakaway tally to set the final.

Against the Elite – In Robert Morris' first series against a Top 10 foe as a nationally-ranked team, the Colonials proved to be successful, going 1-0-1 at Quinnipiac.

The series against the Bobcats was the third time RMU faced a team this season that was ranked (at the time) in either the USCHO.com or USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Top 10. The Colonials took on No. 8/7 Boston University on Oct. 18-19, 2013, dropping the first game 5-2, before rebounding to take the rubber match, 3-0. On Nov. 8-9, 2013, RMU linked up with in-state rival No. 9 Mercyhurst. The Colonials fell in the opener 2-0, but used a three-goal first period to split the two-game set with a 3-2 victory.

Last season, RMU played a total of seven games against ranked foes - five of which coming against the Lakers. In those games the Colonials compiled a record of 3-3-1.

Under Paul Colontino, Robert Morris has posted a mark of 8-9-3 in games against nationally-ranked teams. Before Colontino took over in 2011-12, the Colonials had compiled a 5-48-1 record versus teams inside the Top 10.

Climbing the Top 10 Ladder – For the third-straight week, Robert Morris moved up in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Poll, climbing to a program-high No. 7 position.

The Colonials were in the No. 8 spot last week and stayed in that position in the USCHO.com rankings. This week RMU received 78 points from USA Today/ USA Hockey Magazine, surpassing No. 8 Boston College by five points, and trail the Eagles by four points in the USCHO.com Poll.

Ahead of the Colonials in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine rankings is No. 6 Clarkson, who is 17-4-3 on the season. RMU is just nine points behind the Golden Knights.

Prior to their first appearance in the national Top 10, the Colonials spent four consecutive weeks in both polls' 'receiving votes' category.

Bracketology – The Pairwise Rankings attempt to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the eight-team NCAA Division I women's hockey tournament. The criteria that PWR uses include record against common opponents, record against teams under consideration, head to head competition, and the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

According to the latest version of the rankings, the Colonials are currently in as the fifth team. RMU trails Harvard by .0099 and is ahead of North Dakota by .0004 in RPI.

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 7-0-2 on the road, with ties on Nov. 22 against Syracuse and last Friday at Quinnipiac as their only non-victories 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 2.89 goals per game and have allowed just 0.67 goals per game. In comparison, RMU has averaged 2.93 goals per game and allowed 2.07 goals per game at home.

Know Your Enemy – The rivalry between Robert Morris and Mercyhurst has heated up over the past few seasons, with three particular upperclassman forwards enjoying their meetings against the Lakers.

Thea Imbrogno has registered 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) against Mercyhurst and has tallied a point in six of the last nine meetings. Her linemate, Rebecca Vint, has averaged a point per game versus the Lakers (3 goals, 9 assists).

Kristen Richards has compiled two goals and an assist with the Colonials against Mercyhurst, has six goals in her career versus RMU's in-state rivals. Richards lit the lamp four times against the Lakers when she played for Niagara, including the game-winning overtime goal as a freshman in a 4-3 victory on Nov. 6, 2010.

Assisting Richards on that walk-off tally? Jocey Kleiber, the Colonials' current Director of Hockey Operations.

A New Member – Rebecca Vint had a historic weekend at Quinnipiac, as she became the third member of the 100-point club.

Vint notched the monumental goal in the 5-1 victory this past Saturday with a short-hander to open up the scoring. Not only was that tally her 100th career point, but it also gave her 50 goals for her career - also the third player in program history to accomplish that feat.

The junior forward picked up her 50th career assist in RMU's 1-1 tie with Quinnipiac this past Friday.

Vint is the second Colonial to reach the 100-point barrier this season. Thea Imbrogno became the second player in program history to hit the plateau on Nov. 29, 2013 with an assist on a Brittany Howard goal.

Two's More Fun Than One – Rebecca Vint's two-goal effort in a 5-1 win at Quinnipiac this past weekend was just one of six Colonial multi-goal performances this season.

Leading the team in this department is Maeve Garvey, who tallied two goals in a 4-3 win over Vermont on Oct. 25, 2013, and then scored two unassisted in a 4-2 victory against RIT on Dec. 7, 2013.

The most notable multi-goal performance this season is Brittany Howard versus Maine. The rookie forward registered all four RMU goals in a 4-2 win over the Black Bears.

Anissa Gamble (Oct. 26, 2013 vs. Vermont) and Kristen Richards (Nov. 1, 2013 at Penn State) also have recorded multi-goal performances for the Colonials – Gamble's being the first two goals of her career.

I'll Take the Saturday Special – The Colonials have enjoyed Saturdays moreso than Friday evenings in this early season, as they have won all 10 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 four sweeps on Saturdays, as they beat Bemidji State 3-0 on Oct. 12, Vermont 6-4 on Oct. 26, Lindenwood 3-1 on Nov. 16, and RIT 4-2 on Dec. 7.

RMU is scoring an average of 3.6 goals per game on Saturdays, while allowing just 1.5 goals per game. On Fridays, the Colonials average just 2.3 goals per game and give up 1.9.

A Special Streak – The Colonials currently hold the best unbeaten streak in NCAA Division I women's hockey at 13 games.

Robert Morris hasn't lost since Nov. 8 when it dropped a 2-0 decision to Mercyhurst. The Colonials won three straight games after that loss, then skated to a 1-1 tie at Syracuse on Nov. 22.

Over the unbeaten streak, the Colonials have scored an average of 2.85 goals-per-game and have allowed an average of 1.31 goals-per-game. RMU has tied twice and won five one-goal contests in this span.

Selected for Sochi – Former Colonial goaltender Brianne McLaughlin was selected for the U.S. women's national team that will compete in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games next month in Sochi, Russia.

This is McLaughlin's second Olympic appearance, as she was part of the 2010 U.S. team that won silver in Vancouver. The netminder has won gold medals in the 2011 and 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championships, and took home silver in the 2012 competition.

McLaughlin was a four-time All-CHA selection for Robert Morris from 2005-09 and still holds numerous program records, including the top spot in shutouts (8), saves per game (31.74), and saves (3,809) - the latter of which also being an NCAA record.

Record Watch – Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno ranks in the career top five in Robert Morris program history for points, goals and assists. 24 games into 2013-14 season, Imbrogno ranks second in career points and career assists. Imbrogno also ranks fourth in career goals scored with 48. 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 tied for 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. 24 games into the 2013-14 season, Vint ranks third in career points, 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.

Freshman forward Brittany Howard has also entered the program record books 24 games into her rookie campaign. Howard is currently tied for third in single-season assists and tied for fifth in single-season points.

Career Points
121 – Brianna Delaney (53g, 68a)
109 – Thea Imbrogno (48g, 61a)
103 – Rebecca Vint (51g, 52a)
97 – Sara O'Malley (52g, 45a)
75 – Kelsey Thomas (32g, 43a)
75 – Kristen Miles (43g, 32a)

Career Goals
53 – Brianna Delaney
52 – Sara O'Malley
51 – Rebecca Vint
48 – Thea Imbrogno
43 – Kristen Miles

Career Assists
68 – Brianna Delaney
61 – Thea Imbrogno
52 – Rebecca Vint
45 – Sara O'Malley
43 – Kelsey Thomas

Single-Season Points
44 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
36 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12
33 – Rebecca Vint – 12-13
32 – Brianna Delaney – 08-09
32 – Brittany Howard – 13-14

Single-Season Goals
22 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
18 – Brianna Delaney – 08-09
18 – Sara O'Malley – 09-10
16 – Rebecca Vint – 12-13
16 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12

Single-Season Assists
22 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
20 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12
20 – Brittany Howard – 13-14
19 – Brianna Delaney – 10-11
18 – Brianna Delaney – 11-12

Looking Back – The Colonials have played on Jan. 24-25 twice in their program's history, but fell in both contests.

On Jan. 25, 2008, RMU fell to Wayne State in a home CHA battle, 6-1.

The Warriors dented the scoreboard early, notching a goal 1:15 into the game. Kristen Miles answered with a power play goal at the 12 minute mark of the period off passes from Jacki Gibson and Megan Picinic, but Wayne State scored four in the second period to chase Brianne McLaughlin.

McLaughlin finished with 21 saves, while Daneca Butterfield stopped seven of eight shots - allowing a power play tally in the third period to set the final.

The following year the Colonials fell to Mercyhurst, 5-0, in another CHA home game.

The Lakers tallied two goals in the first period, then notched two more in the second frame. McLaughlin was pulled after Mercyhurst's third goal and was replaced with Butterfield, who gave up the fourth goal and one more in the third to set the final.

McLaughlin made 13 saves, while Butterfield stopped 37 pucks in relief.