ORONO, Maine -- An early game of rope-a-dope executed by the hosts was too much to overcome for the Robert Morris women's hockey team, which found more room offensively Saturday afternoon but could not capitalize enough in a 5-2 loss to Maine at Alfond Arena.

RMU settled for a split of its second consecutive non-conference series on the road, which leaves the school with an 11-5-1 mark all-time against the Black Bears.

The Colonials (3-1-0), despite out-shooting UMO (4-2-0) in the first period 16-5, went into their locker room down 2-0 after a barrage of early chances failed to find one net and UMO found the other on goals by Tereza Vanisova and Daria Tereshkina just over five minutes apart.

Before the proverbial comeback train left its station, Maine extended its lead 13:38 into the second period on what proved to be the game-winner from Brooke Stacey.

RMU got the goose egg off the board early in the third when second-line center Jessica Gazzola, one of its clutch players from last season's march to the College Hockey America (CHA) championship, outworked the Black Bears defense in the crease for a gritty goal, her first of the new campaign, with 15:55 to play.

First-line pivot and team scoring leader Brittany Howard followed it up with one of the more supreme individual efforts of the penalty-filled contest. Taking an outlet pass from Maggie LaGue, who finished the weekend with three assists, she breezed through the middle from the left side and was stoned by Loryn Porter on the breakaway. Howard, however, was rewarded for not giving up on the play, as she quickly snapped in the rebound for her CHA-best sixth goal of the season with 10:53 still remaining in regulation.

With players platooning in and out of the box, it was deemed a short-handed goal for Robert Morris, its first since Feb. 18, 2017 versus Penn State--its only shorty in all of '16-'17--and the second of Howard's collegiate career. Furthermore, it was her 60th lifetime goal at RMU, which ranks second in program history.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the Colonials would get. Stacey added insurance with six-and-a-half minutes to go, Vanisova added an empty-netter in the final two and Porter stood on her head all day, making 38 saves to steal a win for a competitive Maine squad that is its second against a ranked opponent in 2017-18.

Howard fired 13 shots on her alone, a personal single-game high that has not been matched by any RMU skater since 2013, and ended the day an equally robust 18-for-25 in the faceoff dot.

The Colonials aim to return to their own winning ways when they visit Brown for another non-conference series next Friday and Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively.

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