Erie, Pa. –  For the second consecutive contest, the No. 7 Robert Morris University women's hockey team and Mercyhurst needed overtime to decide the game, but this time the College Hockey America (CHA) rivals skated to a 3-3 tie Saturday afternoon in the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
 
Sophomore defenseman Kirsten Welsh set a new career high with three assists. Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard turned in her 12^th multi-point effort of the season with a power-play goal and an assist. Gebhard leads the nation with seven power-play tallies. Junior forward Amanda Pantaleo scored her ninth goal in 12 games. Redshirt junior Brittany Howard scored her team-leading 15^th goal for Robert Morris. Senior netminder Jessica Dodds stopped 25 shots.
 
A clean, five minutes of overtime ended with no goals from either team, as Robert Morris (16-2-6, 9-1-2) and Mercyhurst (8-16-2, 4-7-1) capped their regular season series with a 3-3 deadlock and skated away with one point apiece toward the CHA standings.
 
Mercyhurst opened the third with a game-tying goal, as senior Paige Horton went one-on-one with Dodds right in front, and found an open corner to make it a 3-3 game at 2:56 into the period. The score remained tied as regulation expired.
 
The Colonials earned multiple power-play opportunities in the second, and the squad cashed in on the second of two five-on-three advantages. Gebhard poked a loose puck past sophomore Mercyhurst goalie Sarah McDonnell to put Robert Morris back on top, 3-2. RMU's penalty kill was successful in keeping the Lakers off the board in the final minute and thirty seconds of the frame and Robert Morris maintained a one-goal lead heading into the second intermission.
 
Robert Morris remained aggressive on the forecheck in the second period and it paid off early. Pantaleo picked up the rebound from senior forward Maeve Garvey's initial shot and sent it home to give the Colonials a 2-1 edge less than five minutes into the frame. Mercyhurst responded quickly with a goal on the other end from the Lakers' leading scorer, junior Brooke Hartwick, to knot the score, 2-2.
 
Trailing 1-0, RMU earned a power-play opportunity shortly after Mercyhurst's initial goal of the game. The advantage was short lived, however, and turned into a four-on-four situation, as Robert Morris took a penalty. The Lakers committed a dangerous turnover in their defensive zone. Welsh gloved the puck down and sent it around a Lakers defender ahead to Gebhard, who fed the puck to Howard. Howard's first shot at McDonnell bounced back to her stick, but she remained persistent and cashed in on the rebound to tie the game, 1-1, at 7:03.
 
In a stark contrast to last night's start, the first goal occurred just five minutes into the opening frame. Sophomore Sarah Hine helped Mercyhurst hit the scoreboard to take an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Robert Morris penalty kill was a perfect 6-6 on the day and 11-11 on the weekend. The power play went 1-6.
 
Robert Morris remains on the road next weekend for another CHA series at Syracuse on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m.
 
 
Where They Stack Up
The Colonials lead the CHA standings by four points, just ahead of Syracuse (8-10-5, 7-2-2) and Penn State (5-15-4, 4-5-1).
 
First Things First
With a 3-0-1 record against Mercyhurst in 2016-17, this series marks the first time RMU hasn't suffered a loss to the Lakers in regular season action in a single season in program history.
 
Top Talent
Top-line trio Amber Rennie, Brittany Howard and Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 93 points through 24 games, averaging 3.88 points per game.
 
Trending
Junior forward Amanda Pantaleo has scored nine goals in her last 12 games, and has posted a point in nine of her last 11 outings. Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard extended a career-high seven-game point streak with a goal and an assist. Senior forward Maeve Garvey is riding a season-best three-game point streak.
 
 
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