Robert Morris Colonials (4-9-3, 1-3-2 CHA) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-7-1, 5-6-1 WCHA)
Friday, November 28, 2014 / 84 Lumber Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa. / 7:05 p.m.

Top Story – Following an unique two-tie weekend split with Syracuse, Robert Morris steps out of College Hockey America (CHA) play for a game as the Colonials host Ohio State on Black Friday. The two draws with the Orange pushed the all-time series record between RMU and Syracuse to 9-9-8. This will be the seventh time in the past eight seasons in which the Colonials have played on the year's biggest shopping day, compiling a record of 4-2-0. Last season on Black Friday, RMU defeated Maine, 4-2, behind a four-goal outburst by then-freshman Brittany Howard.


 
Series History – Robert Morris and Ohio State have played four times in program history, with the Colonials trailing in the all-time series, 1-4-0. RMU's lone win came two days before Thanksgiving last season as a third-period goal from Rebecca Vint gave the Colonials a 2-1 win in Columbus. Prior to that, RMU and the Buckeyes had played in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns. In those contests, the Colonials were outscored 18-4 as three of the games ended with identical 4-1 marks - including the last two at 84 Lumber Arena on Oct. 8-9, 2010.
 
Scouting Ohio State – Ohio State, under the direction of former Robert Morris head coach Nate Handrahan, has opened up the 2014-15 campaign with a record of 7-7-1. Currently sitting fourth in the WCHA, the Buckeyes are led by senior defenseman Sara Schmitt, who earned Third Team All-American honors from USCHO last season. Schmitt currently paces the Buckeyes in points with 12 (3g, 9a), while sophomore forward Claudia Kepler has been OSU's most potent goalscorer with five tallies. Freshman netminder Kassidy Sauve has started 12 games between the pipes for OSU, compiling a record of 6-6-0 with a 2.32 goals against average and a save percentage of .912.
 
Last Time Out – Robert Morris and Syracuse split a series this past weekend in the most RMU/Syracuse way, as the two teams played to two draws.
 
The Colonials and Orange skated to a 2-2 tie in the opening game of the series.
 
RMU fell behind early, but responded two minutes after Syracuse's opening goal with a power-play tally from Rikki Meilleur. Meilleur's goal was her team-leading sixth of the season.
 
The Colonials took the lead early in the second frame as Mackenzie Johnston lit the lamp off a pass from Rebecca Vint. However, the Orange struck back a minute later to set the final score.
 
Jessica Dodds made 30 saves in the draw.
 
Syracuse opened up the second game with the opening goal in the first period, scoring just three minutes in. It looked like RMU knotted it up later in the frame, but the would-be tying goal was waved off after video review revealed the net was dislodged.
 
The Colonials picked up the tying goal and set the final with a man-up tally from Johnston.
 
Dodds stopped 34 of 35 shots to preserve the tie.
 
Know Your Enemy – The Colonials have only played Ohio State once under head coach Paul Colontino, defeating the Buckeyes, 2-1, last season.
 
Brittany Howard led the RMU charge with a goal and an assist, as she potted the tying tally and assisted on the game-winning goal.
 
Scoring the game-winner that evening was Rebecca Vint.
 
Jessica Dodds earned the victory by making 19 saves, with the lone blemish being an early second period goal.
 
Another Day, Another Record – The program's record holder for four career marks, six single-season standards, and two single-game milestones added another record to her resume this past weekend.
 
Rebecca Vint is now the program's all-time leader in points with 123 after dishing out an assist in the Colonials' 2-2 tie with Syracuse this past Friday. The senior captain was previously tied with former linemate Thea Imbrogno (2010-14) for the record.
 
Last season, Vint broke the program standard for career goals on Jan. 25, 2014 at Mercyhurst and her own single-season goal mark on Feb. 22, 2014 against Penn State.
 
Working Overtime – To get in the spirit of Black Friday, the Colonials have worked extra time in their last four games.
 
Robert Morris has played four straight overtime contests, which is the longest streak in program history. The stretch of four consecutive extra-time games is the same amount the Colonials had played all of last season.
 
The previous streak of three overtime contests closed out the 2008-09 campaign. In that stretch, RMU tied and lost at Niagara to complete the regular season, and dropped a heartbreaker to Wayne State in the CHA Semifinals.
 
Block Party – Robert Morris currently leads the nation in total blocked shots and blocked shots per game. The Colonials have stopped 304 shots from reaching their goaltenders, 30 more than second place, and average 19.0 blocked shots per contest.
 
Mikaela Lowater, Erin Staniewski, and Kelsey Gunn both rank within the top 10 in this department, individually. Lowater and Staniewski are tied for seventh with 31 blocked shots, while Gunn is in a three-way tie for 10th with 29.
 
This is familiar territory for RMU, as it has ranked in the top four nationally in blocked shots in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The Colonials slotted third two seasons ago with 489 blocked shots, and were fourth last season with 575.
 
Expanded Roles – Three Colonial sophomores have been featured in more prominent scoring roles this season.
 
After a three-point weekend against Syracuse, Mackenzie Johnston has topped her rookie point total with seven this season. Johnston has scored three goals and dished out four assists, with all but two of those points coming in the last four games.
 
RMU's leading goal scorer is Rikki Meilleur, who has potted six on the campaign. As a rookie, Meilleur tallied just a goal and an assist, despite playing in every game.
 
Also contributing offensively is Mikaela Lowater, who is the team's leading point-scorer among defensemen with six. Three different Colonial blueliners tallied double-digit points last season, with Lowater looking to pace that group in 2014-15.
 
Home Sweet Home – Robert Morris is in the midst of a historic stretch at 84 Lumber Arena, as the Colonials will play 10 of their next 12 games (including an exhibition) in the Steel City.
 
After hosting Syracuse this past weekend and Ohio State on Friday, RMU welcomes Penn State and Windsor to town before hitting the road to take on RIT. When the Colonials return home, they will host Quinnipiac, Lindenwood, and Mercyhurst to close out the stretch.
 
Networking with the Colonials – Fans can follow the Colonials on Twitter @RMUWHockey to get updates on the team throughout the season. The account has the 16th most followers among NCAA Division I women's hockey teams at 1,230.

Tweet #ColonialPride