Pittsburgh, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University closed out the fall semester on a high note, defeating Penn State University, 4-2, this afternoon from 84 Lumber Arena.
Sophomore forward
Mackenzie Johnston tallied the game-winning goal with 4:31 remaining for Robert Morris (5-11-3, 2-4-2 CHA), who held its fifth-place position in the College Hockey America (CHA) standings with the series split.
The Colonials again held edges over Penn State (8-7-3, 3-4-1 CHA) in shots on goal (37-21) and shot attempts (72-48), but rewarded themselves this time around with their first victory since Nov. 7 at Lindenwood.
The Nittany Lions struck first in the opening period with their own Kelly Seward sitting in the box for roughing. Laura Bowman forced a turnover on the penalty kill in the PSU offensive zone and beat sophomore goaltender
Jessica Dodds one-on-one to give the visitors an early advantage.
RMU would respond later in the frame with a short-handed tally of its own. Senior forward
Katie Fergus chased down a dump from sophomore defenseman
Mikaela Lowater, beating a Nittany Lion defender to the puck. She then threw a pinpoint pass into the slot for a waiting
Rikki Meilleur, and the sophomore forward buried the one-timer opportunity for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.
PSU regained the lead on the power-play with eight minutes remaining in the middle stanza. Remi Martin's shot from the point was initially stopped by Dodds, but the rebound trickled to Hannah Bramm, who pushed the puck through the sophomore's five-hole to make it 2-1.
The resilient Colonials knotted it back up with just 40 seconds left to play in the period. RMU forced a turnover in their offensive zone as the puck made its way to freshman forward
Jessica Gazzola. Gazzola then ripped a wrist-shot from the right face-off circle, finding net between the glove-side shoulder of Hannah Ehresmann and the crossbar to give the rookie the second goal of her career.
A back-and-forth third period saw great opportunities for both the hosts and visitors, and it looked like the Nittany Lions were going to capitalize midway through the frame. Caitlin Reilly gathered a pass in the slot and believed to have an open net, but Dodds slid across the crease to make a beautiful pad save, preserving the 2-2 score.
The Colonials picked up the game-winner from Johnston on her fourth tally of the season. A hard-working shift looked like it ended after senior assistant captain
Maddie Collias' shot from the point was stopped by Ehresmann. However, the PSU netminder couldn't find a handle on the puck to ice it, giving the sophomore forward a chance to play hero as she batted in the rebound to light the lamp.
RMU withstood a late rush from the Nittany Lions as senior captain
Rebecca Vint lofted a shot from center ice that found its way into an empty net with 22 seconds remaining.
Freshman forward
Amanda Pantaleo picked up assists on the final two Colonial goals, giving her the first two points of her career.
Dodds earned her third win of the season with a 19-save performance. The sophomore stopped all 10 shots she saw in the final 20 minutes.
Robert Morris returns to the ice after the holiday break on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 with an exhibition against the University of Windsor. The meeting between the Colonials and Lancers is set for a 7:05 p.m. opening face-off from 84 Lumber Arena.
