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#2 Robert Morris Colonials (24-7-3, 13-5-2 CHA) vs. #3 RIT Tigers (18-15-3, 11-7-2 CHA)
Friday, March 7, 2014 / Mercyhurst Ice Arena – Erie, Pa. / 7:30 PM
College Hockey America Semifinals

Top Story – Robert Morris begins the search for its second College Hockey America (CHA) Championship this weekend as the Colonials take on RIT in the CHA Semifinals. The Tigers advanced to the semifinal round after a two-game sweep (3-2 [OT], 3-0) of Penn State this past weekend in the CHA Quarterfinals. RMU has never faced RIT in the postseason, but are 3-1 against the Tigers this season and are 5-2 in their last three CHA tournaments.



Series vs. RIT – As aforementioned, Robert Morris is 3-1 against RIT this season. On Dec. 6, 2013, the Colonials used the strength of two power play goals to earn a 2-1 win, then completed the sweep the following afternoon thanks to two unassisted tallies from Maeve Garvey in a 4-2 victory. Rebecca Vint played the role of hero on Feb. 14, as her short-handed goal was the difference in a 2-1 win. However, the Tigers bounced back to take the regular season series finale, 1-0, thanks in part to Ali Binnington's 22 save shutout.

Scouting RIT – RIT is 18-15-3 overall and finished third in the CHA with a record of 11-7-2. Juniors Celeste Brown and Ali Binnington were respectively named CHA Player and co-Goaltender of the Week after the Tigers' two-game sweep of Penn State in the CHA Quarterfinals. Brown scored the game-winning goal in RIT's 3-2 overtime win over the Nittany Lions in Game 1, while Binnington stopped 65 of 67 shots in the series and earned her sixth shutout of the season in the Tigers' 3-0 Game 2 victory. Junior forward Marissa Maugeri leads RIT with 27 points (9g, 18a), while classmate Kolbee McCrea is the team's leading goal scorer with 16 on the season. Binnington sports a record of 14-9-2, leads the CHA in save percentage (.940) and is tied for second in goals-against-average (1.82).

Last Time Out – Robert Morris was last in action on Feb. 22-23, when the Colonials welcomed Penn State to 84 Lumber Arena as a part of Senior Weekend.

RMU stayed undefeated against the Nittany Lions in its program history with a two-game sweep.

In Friday's contest, Thea Imbrogno was the story as she broke the program's career points record with two assists in the Colonials' 5-2 victory.

Imbrogno broke the previous mark of 121 set by Brianna Delaney (2008-12) by recording the primary helper on RMU's first two goals. Katelyn Scott opened up the scoring with her second tally of the season at the 16:51 mark of the first period, then Brittany Howard struck on the power play early in the second frame.

Katie Fergus struck at the 8:35 mark of the stanza off a pass from Maddie Collias to make it 3-0, then Rebecca Vint gathered a feed from Collias before potting a goal of her own.

Penn State answered with a tally from Laura Bowman, but Kristen Richards answered five minutes later to regain the four-goal advantage. However, the Nittany Lions cashed in once more to set the final.

Jessica Dodds made 17 saves in the victory.

Five seniors enjoyed their final time playing at 84 Lumber Arena the following afternoon, as they helped end the Colonials' regular season with a 4-0 win.

Vint tallied the lone goal of the first period as she stole the puck on a Penn State power play and scored short-handed. The tally was her 23rd of the season, breaking her own single-season record she set as a freshman in 2011-12.

Howard made it 2-0 with 6:55 remaining in the second period off passes from Kelsey Gunn and Fergus. Fellow classmate Maeve Garvey notched her eighth goal of the season seven minutes into the final frame off a pass from Ashley Vesci, then assisted Vesci on the final goal of the game with 2:27 left.

Dodds earned her fifth shutout of the season after stopping all 22 shots she faced.

Miss March – After hitting three homeruns in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson was dubbed Mr. October for his playoff heroics.

With the amount of success Robert Morris has had recently in the postseason, who would be considered the Colonials' 'Miss March' - both from this season's team and alumni?

From 2008-13, the Delaney sisters helped lead RMU to a 6-4 record in the playoffs. Brianna Delaney leads all Colonial postseason scorers with nine points (4g, 5a), while her younger sister Cobina tallied three goals and five assists in March. Both had the flair for the dramatic, as Brianna scored the game-winning goal in RMU's 3-2 win over Mercyhurst in the 2012 CHA Championship, while Cobina notched a walk-off winner in the Colonials' 2-1 triple-overtime victory over Lindenwood in Game 1 of the 2013 CHA Quarterfinals.

This season's team features two senior assistant captains that could fit the bill as 'Miss March'.

Thea Imbrogno leads all current RMU players with five points in the postseason, tallying four of them in two separate games. Imbrogno collected a goal and an assist in the 2012 CHA title game, then did the same in the Colonials' 2-0 win in the 2013 CHA Quarterfinal clincher.

Brandi Pollock has only scored five goals in her career, but 40% of those tallies have come in the postseason. Pollock scored the game-winner in RMU's 4-2 win over Wayne State in the 2010 CHA Tournament, then potted the Colonials' lone goal in last season's CHA Semifinals at Mercyhurst.

Along with Imbrogno and Pollock, Rebecca Vint has been a steady performer in the playoffs, registering nearly a point per contest. Vint scored the game-winning goal in RMU's 3-2 win over Niagara in the 2012 CHA Semifinals, and added assists in three of her last four postseason games.

From a goaltending standpoint, alum Kristen DiCiocco was as steady as they come in March. DiCiocco went 4-1 in the playoffs and stopped 160 of 166 shots she faced. She blanked Lindenwood in the deciding game of the 2013 CHA Quarterfinals and made 45 saves en route winning to the 2012 CHA Tournament MVP award.

Among The Elite – For the 13th 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 the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine rankings and No. 10 in the USCHO.com Poll. RMU received 38 points from USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine and 23 from USCHO this week, slotting ahead and behind of North Dakota in the 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 seventh. RMU trails Harvard in RPI by .0251, but holds a .0012 edge over Mercyhurst in that department.

Know Your Enemy – When Robert Morris and RIT have gotten together over this season and last, you know that the game would come down to the final seconds. Without the performances of some particular players, the Colonials' 3-4-1 record against the Tigers might be worse.

Kristen Richards leads all current players with five points against RIT. Richards tallied a goal and an assist in RMU's 2-2 tie with the Tigers on Jan. 26, 2013, and added an assist in the Colonials' 2-1 victory on Dec. 6, 2013. The following afternoon, the senior captain added an helper on a Brittany Howard goal and potted an empty-netter of her own in RMU's 4-2 win.

Howard has registered at least one point in her four contests against the Tigers. Howard scored goals in both victories at home, and tallied an assist in the Colonials' 2-1 win at RIT on Valentine's Day.

Rebecca Vint has also tallied four points in her career versus the Tigers. Vint scored the game-winning short-hander on the aforementioned Valentine's Day victory, and has three helpers in other games.

Between the pipes, Jessica Dodds has stopped 86 of 91 shots she faced in four starts against the Tigers.

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 (41), game-winning goals (5), power play assists (10), and power play points (15). She also is tied for first in goals (17) with Minnesota's Dani Cameranesi. When taking into account all classes, she is tied for sixth in game-winning goals, tied for 14th in points and tied for 15th in assists.

Dodds leads all freshmen in wins (21), shutouts (5), winning percentage (.804), save percentage (.935), and goals-against-average (158) among those who qualify. Nationally, she is fourth in wins and winning percentage, seventh in goals-against-average, tied for seventh in shutouts, and eighth in save percentage.

A Look Back – Robert Morris shocked the college hockey world in 2012 when it defeated in-state rival Mercyhurst, 3-2, to win the CHA title, snapping a streak of nine-straight championships for the Lakers.

The Colonials, who enjoyed home ice for the entire conference tournament due to a now-defunct rotating site rule, opened up the scoring just 3:41 into the game as Katelyn Scott scored the first goal of her collegiate career off a pass from Thea Imbrogno.

Imbrogno made it 2-0 about eight minutes later when she gathered a feed from Dayna Newsom on the power play. Jamie Joslin was credited with the secondary assist.

The Lakers cut the RMU lead to one with 3:54 remaining in the second period with a power play tally. However, just before the second intermission, Brianna Delaney buried the puck behind Mercyhurst goaltender Hillary Pattenden off passes from Rebecca Vint and Kylie St. Louis.

Despite scoring with seven seconds left to pull within one, the Lakers couldn't avoid being on the wrong side of history when the final buzzer sounded.

A big reason why the Colonials won their first conference title that afternoon was because of the play of their special teams. RMU faced 13 power play chances and only allowed two goals - the one being the aforementioned tally with seven seconds remaining in the contest.

Kristen DiCiocco stopped 45 of 47 shots - including 22 in the second period alone - to earn the victory.

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.

Get Ahead, Stay Ahead – Robert Morris' 2-1 win at RIT on Feb. 14 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 14-0-1 when leading after the opening frame.

In addition, RMU is 20-0-1 when scoring first this season. However, when its opponent scores first, the Colonials are just 4-7-2.

The Little Things – One of the biggest reasons why Robert Morris has enjoyed its best season in program history? Success beyond the normal scoring and goaltending statistics.

The Colonials blocked an average of 16.65 shots per game, which is behind Bemidji State for the best mark in the nation. That number contributes to RMU's superb penalty kill unit, which ranks sixth nationally - and first in the CHA - with a mark of 88.2 percent.

Winning faceoffs can help a team in numerous ways. With a percentage of 55.8, the Colonials rank fifth nationally in that department, just behind the Lakers when factoring in just conference members.

RMU also fires off 6.15 more shots per game than its opponent, which ranks ninth in the nation.

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

The Colonials' last series against Penn State provided more of the same with two records falling.

Senior assistant captain Thea Imbrogno set her second career record in as many homestands, as she broke Brianna Delaney's career mark of 121 points with two assists in the Colonials' 5-2 win on Feb. 21. Imbrogno also surpassed Delaney's record of 68 assists with two helpers in RMU's 3-3 tie with Syracuse on Feb. 7.

Junior forward Rebecca Vint already holds the top career mark in goals (59) and single-season marks in points (44). On Feb. 22, Vint broke her own single-season record for goals with her 23rd of the campaign, as she scored a first period short-hander in the Colonials' 4-0 victory.

Freshman forward Brittany Howard might get to Vint's single-season point record as she's three 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. She moved into sole possession of fifth in single-season goals with her 17th during the series against the Nittany Lions.

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 22 this season ties Vint's mark for second best in program single-season history.

Senior captain Kristen Richards also moved into the top five of the record books against Penn State. Richards tallied an assist in the Feb. 22 contest, tying Brianna Delaney's 2009-10 mark of 19 helpers in a single-season.

Career Points
122 – Thea Imbrogno (51g, 71a)
121 – Brianna Delaney (53g, 68a)
117 – Rebecca Vint (61g, 56a)
97 – Sara O'Malley (52g, 45a)
75 – Kelsey Thomas (32g, 43a)
75 – Kristen Miles (43g, 32a)

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

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

Single-Season Points
44 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
41 – Brittany Howard – 13-14
40 – Rebecca Vint – 13-14
36 – Thea Imbrogno – 11-12
34 – Thea Imbrogno – 13-14

Single-Season Goals
23 – Rebecca Vint – 13-14
22 – Rebecca Vint – 11-12
18 – Brianna Delaney – 08-09
18 – Sara O'Malley – 09-10
17 – Brittany Howard – 13-14

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