Robert Morris Colonials (9-15-3, 6-6-2 CHA) @ Syracuse Orange (6-13-9, 4-5-5 CHA)
Friday, February 6, 2015 / Tennity Ice Pavilion – Syracuse, N.Y. / 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 7, 2015 / Tennity Ice Pavilion – Syracuse, N.Y. / 3:00 p.m.

Top Story – Robert Morris sits in the middle of the bunched-up College Hockey America standings following a series split with in-state rival Mercyhurst this past weekend. The Colonials moved into sole possession of third place with 14 points, jumping their opponent Syracuse after it could only manage a tie at Penn State. RMU trails the first-place Lakers by five points with six games to play and sits four points behind the second-place Nittany Lions for a bye in the CHA Tournament. The Colonials have gained momentum since the beginning of the New Year, rattling off four wins this past month after winning just five games in the first half of the season. Three of RMU's losses in January came by a single goal, two of which were lost in overtime.


 
Series History – The term "even" might be an understatement when it comes to the all-time series between Robert Morris and Syracuse. The Colonials and Orange have met 26 times in their histories, with each team earning nine victories. In the last 12 games of this series however, the away team is 7-1-4.  The two programs have also tied eight times - two of which came in their November series at Pittsburgh. RMU's last win over Syracuse came on Nov. 23, 2013 by a score of 2-1 as Rebecca Vint scored the game-winner with 1:13 remaining in regulation. The Orange's last victory over the Colonials happened almost exactly a year ago as they scored the game's first three goals en route to a 3-1 victory in the Steel City.
 
Scouting Syracuse – Syracuse enters this weekend with an overall record of 6-13-9 and a conference mark of 4-5-5. The Orange are returning home following an eight-game road trip that saw them go 1-5-2. Freshman forward Stephanie Grossi is one of the favorites for CHA Rookie of the Year as she leads the league in assists with 16 and is fourth in points with 24. Junior forward Melissa Piacentini paces Syracuse in goals with 14, while Grossi's classmate Alysha Burriss has scored 10 goals and dished out 10 helpers in her rookie season. Junior netminder Jenn Gilligan has started all but two games between the pipes for the Orange, posting a 6-12-8 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a save percentage of .892.
 
Last Time Out – Robert Morris closed out a six-game homestand this past weekend by splitting a series with in-state rival Mercyhurst.
 
The opening game of the set saw the Colonials fall to the Lakers in an overtime heartbreaker, 2-1.
 
After a scoreless first period, Rebecca Vint dented the scoreboard first with a poke through the five-hole of Amanda Makela. Jessica Gazzola and Mikaela Lowater were credited with the assists.
 
A minute and a half later, Mercyhurst responded on a five-on-three power play with a tally from Jenna Dingeldein.
 
Emily Janiga scored the game-winner two minutes into the extra frame as she banged home a rebound on the man advantage.
 
Jessica Dodds made a career-high 47 saves in the loss.
 
RMU rebounded the next day with a 3-2 win over its Keystone State foes.
 
All three Colonial goals came in the second period. Mackenzie Johnston opened up the scoring with an unassisted tally on a breakaway.
 
Maddie Collias made it 2-0 on a five-on-three power play, while Jessica Gazzola gave RMU a three-goal cushion three minutes later.
 
The Lakers scored on a power play and with an extra attacker in the third period.
 
Dodds stopped 20 of 22 shots in the win.
 
Know Your Enemy – Rebecca Vint has averaged a point per game in 14 meetings with Syracuse. Last season, Vint scored one of her five goals against the Orange with 1:13 remaining to push the Colonials to a 2-1 victory.
 
In November, Mackenzie Johnston was the best player on the ice as she scored twice and added the primary assist on a power play tally.
 
Jessica Dodds has made six starts versus Syracuse in her career, going 1-1-4 with a 1.83 goals against average and a save percentage of .938.
 
Johnston Runs January Jewels – Mackenzie Johnston was named CHA Player of the Month after pacing the league with six goals and tying Mikaela Lowater for the  conference lead in points with nine.
 
The sophomore forward registered three multi-point performances in January, including a career-high three-point effort (1 goal, 2 assists) in a 7-1 shellacking of Lindenwood on Jan. 24. That game sprung her to CHA co-Player of the Week honors with Lowater.
 
Second Period Success – The Colonials have dominated the second period recently, scoring 10 goals over their past three middle frames.
 
RMU tied a school record with six goals in the second period of a 7-1 win against Lindenwood on Jan. 24. The Colonials then scored all of their goals this past weekend in the middle stanza, with one on Jan. 30 and three the following day.
 
On the season, RMU has scored multiple goals in the second period five different times.
 
Dodds Hitting Her Stride – Robert Morris has taken the "new year, new me" approach in 2015 and sophomore goaltender Jessica Dodds is no different, excelling thus far in the New Year.
 
Since the turn of the calendar, Dodds has compiled a 1.87 goals against average and a save percentage of .943. She blanked RIT with 34 saves on Jan. 9, and stopped 40+ pucks twice - against No. 4 Quinnipiac (Jan. 16) and Mercyhurst (Jan. 30).
 
Dodds' January success has lowered her goals against average (3.36 to 2.80) by 0.56 and raised her save percentage (.890 to .910) by .020.
 
Block Party – Robert Morris currently leads the nation in blocks per game and total blocks. The Colonials have stopped 507 shots from reaching their goaltenders and have blocked an average of 18.78 shots per contest, 1.10 more than second-place Bemidji State.
 
Mikaela Lowater leads the team with 58 blocks, ranking her fifth nationally. Among forwards, Rebecca Vint is in a four-way tie for ninth with 34.
 
This is familiar territory for RMU, as it has ranked in the top four nationally in blocks in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The Colonials slotted third two seasons ago with 489 blocks, and were fourth last season with 575.
 
Avoiding the Sophomore Slump – Mackenzie Johnston and Rikki Meilleur have flourished in their sophomore campaigns, excelling in their expanded scoring roles after scoring little as freshmen.
 
Johnston (10g, 7a) and Meilleur (9g, 4a) join Alissa Dorman, Megan Picinic, Kristen Miles, Ashley Vesci, and Maddie Collias as players who have increased their point total by at least 10 between their first and second seasons.
 
Both sophomores have upped their point totals by 11 so far this season, seven fewer than the difference in Dorman's scoring output from 2005-06 to 2006-07.
 
Great Scott – Katelyn Scott is one of 15 candidates for the 2015 BNY Mellon Wealth Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen.
 
This is the fifth consecutive year in which Robert Morris has had a student-athlete up for the award. Scott joins Whitney Pappas (2011), Brianna Delaney (2012), Cobina Delaney (2013), and Brandi Pollock (2014) as recent Colonial candidates. Pappas was eventually named a finalist for the honor.
 
Successful Seniors – With the Colonials' 2-1 overtime win over Lindenwood last Friday, the current senior class became the program's most successful as it was part of its 65th career win.
 
The record of 64 wins was previously held by last season's senior class, which is the only other group to finish their careers with a winning record. The current senior class holds a record of 67-47-13.
 
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 1,352.

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