MANKATO, Minn. -- Those who have watched redshirt senior Brittany Howard play for the Robert Morris women's hockey team over the past four years are likely doffing their hats to the starting center and assistant captain. The only more logical place for them Sunday afternoon was on the ice at the Verizon Center.

Howard and junior linemate Amber Rennie piled up three goals apiece to help the No. 9/9 Colonials (2-0-0) cruise past Mankato 6-2. With four goals through the season's first two games, giving her 58 altogether at RMU, plus 80 collegiate assists for 138 lifetime points, Howard has become the program's new all-time scoring queen.

That first-line duo also combined for a trio of assists, and sophomore winger Jaycee Gebhard figured in on every one of their goals.

The historic point was accrued late in the tone-setting first period. Rennie completed her natural hat trick with 1:50 remaining to put Robert Morris up 3-0, as Howard found national rookie of the year Gebhard, who, in turn, set up Rennie for the score that, essentially, chased starting goaltender Chloe Crosby.

At first, Gebhard appeared to give her team a two-goal lead about nine minutes before Howard's record-breaking helper, getting a bounce off a tangled web of sticks and skates at the lip of the Mavericks goal mouth--a power-play tally that withstood official review. Ultimately, however, they determined Rennie got the final blade on the lucky puck.

Goaltending was less of an issue for the visitors, who got 18 saves from junior Lauren Bailey in her first win of the campaign, and a pair from freshman Molly Singewald in the final seven minutes, her first NCAA appearance.

Mirroring her heroics the previous day, Howard drove the right-wing circle and beat backup goalie Katie Bidulka just 40 seconds into the second period to give RMU a comfortable 4-0 cushion. Even when Minnesota State (1-2-1) cracked the goose egg on a Tristen Truax one-timer with 11:40 to go in the frame, Howard was there to get it back for Bailey. She went upstairs on a pretty backhand maneuver in the high-slot area with 4:59 until intermission.

The reigning College Hockey America (CHA) scoring champion and conference MVP completed her own natty hatty 5:04 into the final period by taking a lead pass from Gebhard, getting behind the Mankato defense and elevating a shot past Bidulka from close range. A well-struck power play goal by the Mavericks' Jordan Jackson at 17:17 that came off a faceoff win closed the scoring.

Special teams played a big role throughout the weekend, which saw Robert Morris finish an otherwise spotless 7-for-8 on the penalty kill.

In rewriting individual history, RMU also flaunted team history by earning consecutive victories over an opponent from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). It defeated a team from said conference for just the 14th time overall.

Robert Morris next travels to Maine for another non-conference weekend series, beginning this approaching Friday at 7:00 p.m. and continuing Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram