WENTZVILLE, Mo. -- After settling into the Central Time Zone on the penultimate day of Daylight Savings Time for the last leg of a grueling road swing, the No. 10
Robert Morris women's hockey team left host Lindenwood wishing it could set its clocks back 60 minutes.
Two late points by junior defender
Kirsten Welsh highlighted a four-goal outburst in the third period, as the Colonials (6-1-2, 1-0-2) collected their first two conference points of 2017-18 by pulling away for a 6-0 win over the College Hockey America (CHA) rival Lions (2-6-1, 2-3-0) at the Lindenwood Ice Arena Friday that saw six different players light the lamp for RMU.
When Welsh, the reigning CHA Player of the Week, did it for the third time in as many games with just 2:05 to play, she broke the school record for career points by a defenseman previously held by
Mikaela Lowater, an integral member of last year's CHA regular- and postseason championship team. The Blackstock, Ontario native and former Whitby Jr. Wolves phenom now has 57 points (20 G, 37 A) in 82 games as a collegian after that tally and her secondary assist on
Lexi Templeman's goal with 6:11 remaining.
For Robert Morris, which is now unbeaten in five straight (3-0-2) overall, and in its last five outings at LU (4-0-1), it was a liberating victory on multiple fronts. Its power play enjoyed arguably its best night thus far, scoring three times, including Welsh's history-maker. It got balanced scoring, and, for that matter, offense from all over the line chart.
In addition, its defense, which holds the top team goals-against average in CHA (1.78), got to continue flexing its collective muscles, blocking 14 shots, killing three penalties and helping CHA Goalie of the Week/Month
Elijah Milne-Price stay unbeaten (5-0-2) after the senior racked up 20 saves for her second career shutout.
Furthermore, the win was not only punctuated by a feel-good story; it was bookended by them. Templeman found
Caitlyn Sadowy at the side of the Lindenwood net for an easy 5-on-4 goal just over a minute into a scoreless second period that gave Sadowy her first career game-winner and first official goal since losing all of last season to a pair of simultaneous upper-body injuries.
The Lions tried mounting a response, but Milne-Price, bolstered by her blue-liners, stood tall, and captain
Amanda Pantaleo gave the Colonials a little breathing room with 2:23 until the ice cut by ripping a rebound past Sarah McGall from the left circle. The initial shot came from fellow senior and second-liner
Jessica Gazzola, who finished her night with three assists.
The Colonials could breathe even easier when
Jaycee Gebhard got a rebound goal of her own, beating a prone McCall from the other circle for a 3-0 Robert Morris lead with 12:48 to go in the third.
Sarah Lecavalier and Templeman each registered their third of the season 1:09 apart, the latter scoring on another RMU PP, before No. 4 got a goal No. 4 she won't soon forget, a one-timer that found its way through a Lions defender and past McCall that was, fittingly, set up by the program's overall career points leader,
Brittany Howard.
Robert Morris looks to extend its unbeaten streak in Saturday's series finale, with puck drop at the Lindenwood Ice Arena scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. CDT.
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