PITTSBURGH -- Despite a 7-3 non-conference loss to No. 5 Ohio State (11-2-2, 8-2-2-1) at the RMU Island Sports Center Friday night, top-line center Brittany Howard continues to affirm her legendary status on the No. 9 Robert Morris women's hockey team.

The redshirt senior provided the final margin immediately following a power play goal by the Buckeyes, driving the net and burying her 69th career goal. Howard, who already became RMU's new career points queen Oct. 8 at Minnesota State, another Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) foe, is now that much closer to becoming just the second player in program history to score 70 collegiate goals.

Former career points leader Rebecca Vint, the first to accomplish the feat, holds the Robert Morris career goals record of 73. Howard enters the series finale with 156 career points and a four-game goal streak after opening the season on a personal-best six-game run.

She also approaches that game having regained a share of the NCAA goals lead. The London Jr. Devilettes prodigy sits atop the national heap with 15, alongside Boston College teammates Daryl Watts and Caitrin Longeran--having reached that mark in one fewer game than both.

Howard, now the only Division I player with three shorthanded goals, for that matter, is averaging 1.43 goals per game outside of conference play, second-most in the nation.

Another bright spot for the Colonials (9-2-2, 4-0-2) was the continued productivity of her supporting cast. Winger Aneta Ledlova scored her first of the season on a nifty backhander with almost five-and-a-half minutes gone by in the second to get them on the board.

Furthermore, Pittsburgh native Anjelica Diffendal rung up her second in as many games by fooling OSU goaltender Kassidy Sauve, who played commendably with 30 saves, with a lateral shot from the left circle.

Ledlova enjoyed her first multi-point night since Dec. 3, 2016 at Penn State with the primary assist on Diffendal's goal with under 15 minutes left in regulation.

Sauve's counterpart, Lauren Bailey, also gave her team a spark, turning aside 18 pucks over the last two periods for RMU. The Colonials outshot Ohio State through the first two and 33-30 for the contest.

Robert Morris meets the Buckeyes again at Colonials Arena Saturday afternoon, with the opening faceoff set for 2:05 p.m.

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