Erie, Pa. – A classic matchup between two in-state College Hockey America (CHA) rivals came down to the wire, and the No. 7 Robert Morris University women's hockey team ended a defensive, overtime battle victorious over the Mercyhurst Lakers, 2-1, Friday evening in the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
 
Sophomore defenseman Kirsten Welsh scored for the Colonials and added two blocked shots. Freshman Jaycee Gebhard and junior Katherine Murphy were credited with assists. Senior forward Maeve Garvey recorded the game-winning, power-play goal in overtime, on assists from junior forward Amanda Pantaleo and senior goalie Jessica Dodds. Dodds made 15 saves. Junior defenseman Natalie Fraser chipped in with three blocked shots.

 
Robert Morris (16-2-5, 9-1-1) opened the overtime period on a power play that carried over from the third period. As the puck sailed off Dodds' stick down ice toward Mercyhurst (8-16-1, 4-7-0) netminder Jessica Convery, Pantaleo won a race with a Mercyhurst defenseman to gain possession, and made a perfect centering pass to Garvey as she cut to the net. Garvey shot the puck right past Convery and earned the game-winning tally on the advantage. Celebrations were stopped short when the officials reviewed the goal to confirm the Colonials were not off sides, but the ruling remained in favor of Robert Morris.
 
Mercyhurst pulled Convery with minutes remaining and benefitted from an icing call that placed the ensuing faceoff in the Lakers' offensive zone with an extra skater on the ice. Mercyhurst won the faceoff and threw everything on net until senior Jillian Skinner put one past Dodds in front and tied the game, 1-1, with 59.8 on the clock. Immediately after the goal, Mercyhurst committed a costly penalty, which eventually led to RMU's power-play game winner in over time.
 
Senior Taylor Accursi nearly put the Lakers on the board past the midway point in the third period with a shot that made contact with the crossbar behind Dodds. After an official review, it was confirmed that the puck never crossed the goal line, and the game remained scoreless. Following coincidental minor penalties, a four-on-four situation helped create open ice and the Colonials capitalized.
 
Junior defenseman Katherine Murphy blocked the puck from crossing the blue line to maintain possession in the RMU offensize zone, and helped set up Gebhard's cross-ice pass to Welsh.  Welsh took a shot from the point that broke through and put the Colonials on top, 1-0, at 12:00 in the third period.
 
The Colonials and the Lakers each had two power play chances in the second period, but for the second-straight frame, could not convert. RMU nearly doubled its shots on goal from the first period, but neither team could reach the scoreboard. Mercyhurst had a late scoring chance on a breakaway by Accursi, but the veteran forward was robbed by Robert Morris' seasoned netminder Dodds.
 
The first period was tightly contested, and defense played a major role, as both squads managed to post just five shots on goal. Robert Morris failed to convert on three early power-play opportunities, while Mercyhurst squandered two special teams chances.
 
RMU ended the night 1-7 on the power play, while Mercyhurst went 0-5. The Colonials outshot the Lakers, 22-16, but Mercyhurst bested Robert Morris in blocked shots, 17-10.
 
Robert Morris and Mercyhurst complete the two-game series on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m.
 
 
Where They Stack Up
The Colonials lead the CHA standings by three points, just ahead of Syracuse (8-10-5, 7-2-2) and Penn State (5-15-4, 4-5-1).
 
Third Time's the Charm
For the first time since 2012-13, Robert Morris has earned three or more wins over Mercyhurst in a single season.
 
Top Talent
Top-line trio Amber Rennie, Brittany Howard and Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 90 points through 23 games, averaging 3.91 points per game.
 
Trending
Junior forward Amanda Pantaleo has scored a goal in seven of her last 10 games, and has posted a point in eight of her last 10 outings. Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard extended a career-high six-game point streak with an assist.
 
 
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