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No. 9 Robert Morris Colonials (22-7-3, 11-5-2 CHA) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-25-3, 1-16-1)
Friday, February 21, 2014 / 84 Lumber Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa. / 3:05 PM
Saturday, February 22, 2014 / 84 Lumber Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa. / 3:05 PM

Top Story – No. 9 Robert Morris looks to get back to its winning ways this weekend as the Colonials host Penn State. RMU split its fifth series of the season this past weekend at RIT, giving the Colonials a 2-3-1 record over their last six games. Rebecca Vint provided a nice Valentine's Day gift for her teammates with a game-winning short-handed goal in a 2-1 victory this past Friday, but the rubber match saw RMU struggle to figure out Ali Binnington in a 1-0 loss. The Colonials look to lock up the second seed in the conference tournament this weekend after breaking a program record for CHA wins against the Tigers.



Series vs. Penn State – Robert Morris has enjoyed its meetings with Penn State so far, as the Colonials are 6-0-0 all-time against the Nittany Lions. RMU previously swept Penn State at Pegula Ice Arena on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2013 by a combined score of 10-0 (4-0, 6-0). Kristen Richards, Courtney Vinet, Jessica Dodds, and Brittany Howard all claimed CHA weekly honors following that series. Last season, the Colonials defeated the Nittany Lions by a combined score 19-5, although the two meetings at 84 Lumber Arena were more competitive (4-1, 4-2) than the ones in State College (7-1, 4-1).

Scouting Penn State – Penn State is 4-25-3 overall and 1-16-1 in CHA play, with that lone conference victory coming at home against Lindenwood. The Nittany Lions played Mercyhurst tough this past Sunday, as they took 1-0 lead in the second period before falling 4-1. Sophomore forward Hannah Hoenshell leads the team in points (15), while freshman forward Laura Bowman paces Penn State in goals (9). Both senior Nicole Paniccia and sophomore Celine Whitlinger have seen significant time between the pipes. Whitlinger has compiled a better record (3-10-1) and save percentage (.913) than Paniccia, but the senior holds the advantage in goals-against-average (3.44).

Thank You Seniors – Five Robert Morris seniors will be playing in their last regular season home games at 84 Lumber Arena this weekend.

Thea Imbrogno is from Etobicoke, Ontario, and has served as an assistant captain for the Colonials both this season and last. Her name is plastered all over the RMU record book, as she holds the top spot in assists (69) and power-play goals (25). Imbrogno also ranks second all-time in points (120) and fourth in goals (51). She was named to the All-CHA Second Team twice (2010-11, 2011-12), was the 2010-11 recipient of CHA Rookie of the Year, and has been honored with a total of eight CHA weekly awards (2 offensive, 6 rookie).

Anneline Lauziere is from St. Thomas, Ontario and has played in a total of 131 games. She was named Most Improved Player by her teammates and coaching staff in 2010-11 and posted a career-high +12 plus/minus the year after. Lauziere has been more of an offensive force this season, as she's surpassed her combined totals from the previous three seasons (5-13-18).

Brandi Pollock is from Virden, Manitoba, and was one of 18 nominees for the BNY Mellon Hockey Wealth Management Humanitiarian Award this season. She opened up her career with a bang, scoring the game-winning goal - her first - in a CHA Quarterfinal victory over Wayne State. Since then, Pollock has totaled 29 points (5g, 24a) and blocked 194 shots during her four seasons at RMU, including a team-high 78 in 2013-14.

Kristen Richards is from Toronto, Niagara and is the captain of this year's team. She transferred in from Niagara University after the 2011-12 season and made an immediate impact, tallying 47 points (15g, 32a) in 64 career games with RMU. In her first game donning the Colonial blue and white, Richards netted the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Yale. The forward was named CHA Player of the Week on Nov. 4, 2013 following a four-point series at Penn State.

Kylie St. Louis is from Windsor, Ontario and has posted a plus/minus of +21 in 129 games. She was a +16 in 2011-12, which is the tied for the third highest mark in program history. St. Louis has scored a game-winning goal in each of the last three seasons, including an overtime winner in the Colonials' 3-2 win over RPI on Oct. 5, 2013. For her career, the defenseman has tallied 37 points (12g, 25a) and blocked 172 shots.

Among the Elite – For the 11th straight week, Robert Morris found itself in both the USCHO.com and USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine polls.

The Colonials slotted in at No. 9 in both the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com polls. RMU received 25 points from USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine and 19 from USCHO this week, down from 31 and 24 from last week's respective releases.

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 eighth. RMU trails Mercyhurst in RPI by .0033, but hold a .0009 edge over North Dakota in that department.

Know Your Enemy – A number of different Colonials have been a pain in Penn State's side during their careers, but one player stands out beyond them all.

Over six games against the Nittany Lions, there hasn't been a contest where Rebecca Vint didn't score. Vint tied a school record with five goals in Robert Morris' first-ever meeting with Penn State (a 7-1 win) and has added one goal in the Colonials' five other wins over the Nittany Lions. The junior forward has 10 goals in her career against Penn State, good enough for an average of 1.67 a game.

Thea Imbrogno has registered seven points (2g, 5a) against Penn State. Six of those points came in three contests, as Imbrogno notched a goal and assist on Nov. 10, 2012 and Nov. 1, 2013, and tallied two helpers on Feb. 23, 2013.

Kristen Richards is currently on a four-game point streak against the Nittany Lions. Richards registered her only multi-goal game as a Colonial on Nov. 1, 2013 and added an assist in RMU's previous three games against Penn State.

Anneline Lauziere helped Richards reach that milestone on Nov. 1, 2013, as she tallied four assists in the 7-1 victory. Lauziere has registered six helpers against the Nittany Lions in her career.

Playoff Positioning – Being that this weekend is the final one in CHA regular season play, it's no surprise that the results will hold major implications in tournament seeding.

Robert Morris is currently second in the standings, holding a three-point edge over Syracuse (24 to 21). The Colonials simply need to win one of two, or tie in both contests against Penn State this weekend.

Syracuse and RIT meet in a home-and-home to determine seeding. The two have already clinched home games in the CHA Tournament quarterfinals (if necessary). The Orange hold a slight one-point advantage over the Tigers for the third spot, despite splitting their first two contests.

The third seed would host Penn State, while the fourth seed welcome Lindenwood.

Senior Day Standouts – Robert Morris has hosted six Senior Days in its history and holds a record of 2-2-2 in those games.

The Colonials' first win on Senior Day featured some standout play from two that were honored before the contest. Kristen Miles' tally in the second period against Wayne State was the only goal of the game, as Brianne McLaughlin stopped all 51 pucks she faced in a 1-0 victory on Feb. 21, 2009.

Sara O'Malley holds the record for the most points by a senior in their final regular season home game, as she registered two assists in a 2-2 tie with Syracuse on Feb. 19, 2011.

Last season, both Dayna Newsom and Cobina Delaney lit the lamp in their final game at 84 Lumber Arena, as their goals lifted RMU over Penn State, 4-2, on Feb. 23, 2013.

Other seniors that have tallied a point in their last regular season home game are Courtney Langston (Feb. 23, 2013) and Brianna Delaney (Feb. 18, 2012).

Get Ahead, Stay Ahead – Robert Morris' 2-1 win at RIT this past Friday was the first time the Colonials had won this season when down after the first period.

RMU was 0-6 this season when facing a deficit after the first 20 minutes. On the flip side, the Colonials are 12-0-1 when leading after the opening frame.

Ridiculous Rookies – From the moment they made their debuts, Brittany Howard and Jessica Dodds have established themselves as two of the nation's best freshmen.

Howard leads all rookies in assists (24), points (39), game-winning goals (5), power play assists (10), and power play points (14). She also is second in goals (15), behind Minnesota's Dani Cameranesi. When taking into account all classes, she is tied for third in game-winning goals, tied for 10th in assists, and tied for 13th in points.

Dodds leads all freshmen in wins (19) and shutouts (4), and is second in winning percentage (.788) and save percentage (.934), and third in goals-against-average (1.62). Nationally, she is tied for third in wins, tied for ninth in shutouts, ninth in save percentage, and 10th in goals-against-average.

Two's More Fun Than One – Brittany Howard's two-goal effort in a 3-3 tie against Syracuse on Feb. 7 was just one of 10 Colonial multi-goal performances this season.

Vint leads the team with three multi-goal performances, tallying them all in a five-game stretch. The junior forward notched back-to-back hat tricks in a 5-3 loss at Mercyhurst on Jan. 25 and in a 6-1 victory at Lindenwood on Jan. 31, and also tallied two goals in a 5-1 win at Quinnipiac on Jan. 18.

Maeve Garvey is the only RMU player other than Vint and Howard to register two multi-goal games. Garvey tallied two goals in a 4-3 win over Vermont on Oct. 25, 2013 and 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 Colonial goals in a 4-2 win over the Black Bears.

Anissa Gamble (Oct. 26, 2013 vs. Vermont), Thea Imbrogno (Feb. 1, 2014 at Lindenwood) and Kristen Richards (Nov. 1, 2013 at Penn State) also have recorded multi-goal performances for RMU - Gamble's being the first two goals of her career.

A Special Month – For the third time this season, the Colonials were recipients of multiple CHA monthly awards.

Rebecca Vint won her second CHA Player of the Month this season and the fourth of her career after tallying 15 points (11 goals, 4 assists) in seven games.

Vint broke the program record for career goals with a hat trick at Mercyhurst, then became the first player in school history to record back-to-back hat tricks with a second at Lindenwood. The junior forward also became the first player to eclipse the 100-point barrier after compiling two goals and two assists in a 5-1 win at Quinnipiac on Jan. 18.

Jessica Dodds won her third-straight CHA Goaltender of the Month and the fourth CHA monthly honor of the season.

Dodds went 5-1-1 in January with a save percentage of .947 and a 1.56 goals-against-average. The rookie blanked St. Lawrence on Jan. 5 for her fourth career shutout and set a career-high in saves with 36 in a 1-1 tie at Quinnipiac on Jan. 17.

Record Watch – In this historic season for Robert Morris, there have been both career and single-season marks that have fell.

This weekend against Penn State could provide more of the same with career and single-season points, and single-season goals.

Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno could set her second career record in as many homestands. Imbrogno broke Brianna Delaney's career record of 68 assists with two helpers in the Colonials' 3-3 tie with Syracuse on Feb. 7 and could nab another one of Delaney's standards with two more points.

Junior forward Rebecca Vint already holds the top career mark in goals (59) and single-season marks in points (44) and goals (22). Vint could surpass her record in goals with two more this weekend. She currently sits seven points away from tying her single-season mark in that department.

Freshman forward Brittany Howard might get to Vint's single-season point record first as she's five away from tying it. Howard broke the junior forward's record for assists with a helper in RMU's 3-1 loss to the Orange on Feb. 8, and could move into the top five in single-season goals with one this weekend.

Imbrogno became the fourth player to reach the 50-goal plateau with two in a 4-2 loss at Lindenwood on Feb. 1. Her assist total of 20 this season tied her mark set in 2011-12 for the third-best in single-season history.

Career Points
121 – Brianna Delaney (53g, 68a)
120 – Thea Imbrogno (51g, 69a)
114 – Rebecca Vint (59g, 55a)
97 – Sara O'Malley (52g, 45a)
75 – Kelsey Thomas (32g, 43a)
75 – Kristen Miles (43g, 32a)

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

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

Single-Season Points
44 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
38 – Brittany Howard – 13-14
37 – Rebecca Vint – 13-14
36 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12
33 – Rebecca Vint – 12-13

Single-Season Goals
22 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
21 – Rebecca Vint – 13-14
18 – Brianna Delaney – 08-09
18 – Sara O'Malley – 09-10
16 – Rebecca Vint – 12-13
16 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12

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

Looking Back – The Colonials have played on Feb. 21-22 three times in their history, holding a record of 2-1-0 all-time.

RMU dropped a 2-1 contest at Niagara on Feb. 22, 2008. The Purple Eagles took the early lead with a power play goal at the 17:02 mark of the first period, but the Colonials tied it with an unassisted tally from Ali Proodian in the second period. Niagara tallied the game-winner with 10:43 remaining.

Brianne McLaughlin made 26 saves in the loss.

However, McLaughlin would get revenge the following year as she stopped all 51 pucks she saw in a 1-0 shutout victory against Wayne State.

After a scoreless first period, Kristen Miles lit the lamp for the contest's only tally off passes from Chelsea Walkland and Brianna Delaney.

Last season, RMU earned a 4-1 win over Penn State in the teams' third-ever meeting.

The Nittany Lions took a 1-0 lead into the first period, but Rebecca Vint tied it up off a pass from Jamie Joslin midway through the second period. A power play goal three minutes later from Dayna Newsom gave the Colonials their first lead.

RMU extended that lead with a tally from Cobina Delaney, then Katelyn Scott's power play goal with 2:16 left in regulation set the final.

Kristen DiCiocco stopped 13 of 14 shots in the win.