Pittsburgh, Pa. –  Missed opportunities paired with an impressive showing by the Lindenwood defense caused the No. 7 Robert Morris University women's hockey team to suffer its first regulation loss and  second overall loss of the season, a 2-1 setback in the Colonials Skate for The Cure Weekend opener Friday night in 84 Lumber Arena.
 
This is the first College Hockey America (CHA) loss for Robert Morris (14-2-5, 7-1-1) this season, and first loss on home ice, as their 13-game unbeaten streak comes to a halt. RMU maintained an unblemished record since Oct. 21. Lindenwood's (5-13-2, 3-5-1) victory marked its second win over a ranked opponent in their last three outings.
 
Redshirt junior forward Brittany Howard extended her point streak to a career-high 11 games with the Colonials' lone goal of the evening. Freshman Jaycee Gebhard and sophomore Amber Rennie chipped in with assists. Junior forward Amanda Pantaleo took three shot attempts and blocked five shots. Sophomore goaltender Lauren Bailey made 22 saves.
 
Robert Morris and Lindenwood entered the third period with the Colonials trailing, 1-0. Four minutes into the final frame, Howard cashed in on a backhand shot while Lions goaltender Jolene deBruyn was down to tie the game, and  in doing so,  sent a menagerie of stuffed animals sailing onto the ice in RMU's first-ever Teddy Bear Toss.

 
RMU successfully killed off their third penalty of the night to keep the score knotted, 1-1, and soon after, earned their sixth advantage of the game. While on the power-play, Gebhard got tripped up by a Lions defenseman on a breakway to the net, and was awarded a penalty shot. The rookie was denied the go-ahead goal by a red hot deBruyn.
 
At 13:59, the Lions went ahead, 2-1, on a shot to the wide open corner from Lindenwood sophomore Tirra Lemoine, which marked Lemoine's first goal of the season and would end up as her first career game-winning tally.
 
Robert Morris had a number of scoring opportunities in the second period, including two shorthanded breakaways. The Colonials outshot the Lions in the second frame, 21-5, but failed to capitalize on the offensive frenzy.
 
In the opening stanza, Lindenwood reached the scoreboard first on a rebound that bounced off Bailey's pad, onto the stick of junior Britannia Gillanders, and into the net to give the Lions a 1-0 edge at 8:27.
 
RMU edged Lindenwood in shots on goal, 37-24, but deBruyn's 36 saves marked a season high, and the Lions defense supported their goalie with 35 blocked shots.
 
"You have to capitalize," said head coach Paul Colontino of lessons learned from tonight's game. "Goals make the difference. We gripped the stick pretty tight for the majority of the game just trying to get that first one. We had a lot of opportunities, from misfiring to pucks going through our feet. You literally have to be ready for your opportunities. I felt at times for whatever reason, we had trouble with that tonight."
 
Colontino and the Colonials, however, understand how to mentally prepare for the next one, as they have been able to do so successfully all season long.
 
"The truth is, you need to take it game by game and today is today," Colontino stated. "As much as you don't like it, you're upset, you're happy or unhappy with your play, when you go to bed, that should be the last time you think about it. When we wake up tomorrow, it's a brand new day, and then all we're thinking about is the day's task. We're completely focused on what's in front of us."
 
Tomorrow brings a rematch between No. 7 Robert Morris and Lindenwood in another CHA clash on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:05 p.m. in 84 Lumber Arena.
 
 
Where They Stack Up
The Colonials currently lead the CHA standings by four points, just ahead of Penn State (6-13-4, 5-3-1) and Syracuse (5-11-5, 4-3-2).
 
A Fine Line
Top-line trio Amber Rennie, Brittany Howard and Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 84 points through 21 games, averaging 4.00 points per game.
 
Trending
Redshirt junior Brittany Howard has posted a point in 19 of 21 games on the season, and is riding a career-best 11-game point streak. She leads RMU with 36 points, 14 goals, and 22 assists.
 
Milestone Watch
Redshirt junior forward Brittany Howard is two assists shy of becoming the all-time individual career assist leader in program history. She recently improved to fifth place on the all-time individual career goal scoring list at RMU.
 
 
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