University Park, Pa. – In a high-scoring affair that featured six goals in the third period, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team never trailed and held on through the final 20 minutes to top Penn State, 6-5, Sunday afternoon in Pegula Ice Arena.
 
With the win, RMU (12-1-5, 7-0-1) remains undefeated in College Hockey America (CHA) action, and extends its unbeaten streak to 11 games. The first-place Colonials now hold a five-point lead over second-place Syracuse in the league standings.
 
Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard scored her team-leading 11^th and 12^th goals of the year, and tabbed an assist to match her career-best three points. Redshirt junior forward Brittany Howard dished out a career-high-tying three assists. For the second time in her career, junior Amanda Pantaleo scored in back-to-back games with a goal today following her score in yesterday's win. Pantaleo also added an assist. Senior forward Maeve Garvey and sophomore forward Amber Rennie each recorded a goal and an assist. Senior defenseman Mikaela Lowater scored her first goal of the season. Senior goaltender Jessica Dodds made 31 saves.
 
Despite Robert Morris' late goal in the second period, it was all Penn State (5-10-3, 4-3-1) to start the third. The Nittany Lions gained momentum from sophomore Meike Meilleur's goal just 1:32 into the frame. Four minutes later, Penn State senior Laura Bowman netted her second goal of the game to put PSU within one. Just after the midway point of the third, Garvey extended RMU's lead to two, but Penn State struck again and scored their third goal of the frame to trim the Robert Morris lead back to one.
 
Penn State senior defenseman Kelly Seward made a long pass from her own defensive zone to the opposite end of the ice, where PSU's Meilleur gained possession and fed the puck to freshman Kate Rydland, who was skating toward Dodds. Rydland went five-hole to make it a one-goal game again, 5-4.
 
The Nittany Lions pulled their goalie with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, and Lowater capitalized with a shot from the blue line straight to the wide open net to increase the Colonials lead to two, 6-4. Penn State remained persistent and scored on a late power-play opportunity to get back within one, but with just 13 seconds left after the goal, PSU ran out of time to tie the score and dropped their fourth straight game.
 
At 4:26 in the second period, Rennie lifted the puck over Penn State freshman goalie Daniela Paniccia and helped Robert Morris to a 3-0 advantage. With just over two minutes remaining in the frame, Bowman put the Nittany Lions on the board, when she slid the puck past Dodds' right pad. The Colonials responded before they headed into the locker room for second intermission. With 37 seconds left in the period, Gebhard and Howard connected for Gebhard's second goal of the game to put RMU back up by three.
 
The Colonials got off to a hot start in the first period. Howard won a battle along the boards and skated the puck all the way to the net, where she took a shot that slid behind Paniccia and to the other side of the net. Gebhard was waiting in the corner and cashed in on the wide open shot to put Robert Morris on the board at 4:55. Twenty seconds later, Penn State won the ensuing faceoff at center ice, but turned the puck over in an attempt to clear the Nittany Lions defensive zone. Pantaleo chased the puck around the back of the net and jammed it past Paniccia's left pad to increase the Colonials' lead to two goals.
 
RMU went 0-for-1 on the power play, killed off four of five penalties. Penn State topped Robert Morris in blocked shots, 14-10, and shots on goal, 36-30.
 
Robert Morris will take a break from action over the holidays and return to the ice to host Brown on Friday, Dec. 30 at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 31 at 2:05 p.m.
 
 
Strong Start to CHA Play
RMU is off to its best start to a conference season in program history. Its previous best record through the first eight games of CHA play was 6-1-1 in 2013-14, when the Colonials went on to post a program-best 13-5-2 conference mark.
 
Pick Six
Robert Morris matched its season-high six goals in today's win. The last time RMU scored six goals was in a 6-3 win over RPI on Oct. 7.
 
Lucky Number Three
For the third time this season, redshirt junior Brittany Howard posted three points in a game. Today's game marked the second time she matched her career-best three assists this season.
 
Trending
Redshirt junior Brittany Howard has posted a point in 16 of 18 games on the season, including the Colonials' last eight.
 
Milestone Watch
Head coach Paul Colontino is two wins away from his 100^th career victory as head coach of the Robert Morris University women's hockey team. Redshirt junior Brittany Howard is also four assists away from becoming the all-time assist leader in program history. She is currently tied for second place on the list with 68 career assists.
 
 
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