Pittsburgh, Pa. –
In its final weekend of 2017 action at 84 Lumber Arena, the No. 8
Robert Morris University women's hockey team will close its home slate against Penn State on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3:05 p.m. in 84 Lumber Arena.
The class of 2017 will be honored in a brief ceremony prior to puck drop Saturday afternoon.
Robert Morris (19-3-6, 12-2-2 CHA) secured a first-round bye in the College Hockey America (CHA) Tournament last weekend with a sweep of RIT. The Colonials will have an opportunity to secure their first-ever regular-season title in program history during this weekend's two-game series with Penn State (8-17-5, 7-7-2).
The Colonials are coming off a pair of wins over the RIT Tigers, while Penn State enters the series following back-to-back road wins over Lindenwood, including a 2-0 shutout victory last Saturday.
| ROBERT MORRIS VS. PENN STATE |
| FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 |
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Puck Drop |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
| ROBERT MORRIS | PENN STATE |
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7:05 p.m. |
Stretch |
Sidearm |
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| SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 |
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| ROBERT MORRIS | PENN STATE |
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3:05 p.m. |
Stretch |
Sidearm |
PROMOTIONS
Friday, February 17
Free continuous student shuttle between campus (Lexington/Concord Halls) and ISC from 1-10 p.m.
Sign up in the arena to take the Clearview FCU Skill Shot Challenge for a chance to win $500
Saturday, February 18
SENIOR DAY
The Robert Morris women's hockey class of 2017 will be honored in a brief pregame ceremony
First 200 fans receive a free Colonials mini hockey stick, presented by Peoples Natural Gas
Sign up in the arena to take the Clearview FCU Skill Shot Challenge for a chance to win $500
DOUBLEHEADER: Stick around to watch the RMU men's hockey team take on Mercyhurst at 7:05 p.m. (Tickets to women's and men's games sold separately)
Robert Morris versus Penn State
Penn State | 8-17-5, 7-7-2 (CHA)
Robert Morris is 13-3-2 all-time against Penn State. Earlier this season, the Colonials swept the Nittany Lions by way of a pair of road victories: 4-2 and 6-5.
Key Notes
The Colonials have an opportunity to clinch their first-ever regular-season CHA title in program history. A Robert Morris win and Syracuse loss on Friday would crown the Colonials regular-season champions. A Robert Morris sweep of Penn State, or an identical performance to Syracuse over the weekend would secure the title for RMU on Saturday.
Robert Morris is set to face league opponents in the remaining four games of the regular season.
The Colonials currently lead the CHA standings by four points, ahead of Syracuse (11-12-5, 10-4-2) and Penn State (8-17-5, 7-7-2).
Top-line trio
Amber Rennie,
Brittany Howard and
Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 105 points through 28 games, averaging 3.75 points per game.
Redshirt junior forward and CHA Player of the Month (Nov., Dec.)
Brittany Howard ranks among the top 10 nationally in power-play points (t-2nd; 16), power-play goals (t-3
rd; 6), power-play assists (t-4
th; 10), points (t-6th; 45), assists (t-6th; 27) and goals (t-10
th; 18).
Freshman forward and CHA Rookie of the Month (Oct., Nov., Dec., Jan.)
Jaycee Gebhard leads the nation in power-play goals (nine) and ranks first in points per game among rookies (1.39).
Seniors
Jessica Dodds,
Maeve Garvey,
Mackenzie Johnston,
Mikaela Lowater, and
Rikki Meilleur will be recognized prior to Saturday's game.
National Radar
Robert Morris continues to earn top-10 recognition nationally at No. 8 in the USCHO.com Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll. They are ranked eighth in the Women's Division I PairWise Rankings, a system that attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I women's hockey tournament.
Top Talent
RMU ranks second in the nation in penalty kills (140), tied for third in power-play goals (28), eighth in power-play percentage (17.6%), eighth in goals per game (3.32), tied for tenth in goal margin (+31), and tenth in goal margin per game (+1.11).
CHA Nod
Freshman forward
Jaycee Gebhard was named CHA Rookie of the Month for January. She leads the league in goals (19), goals per game (0.68), power-play goals (nine), power-play points (16), plus-rating (+34), and plus-minus (+17). Gebhard paces the nation in power-play goals and points per game among rookies (1.39).
Getting It Done on Defense
Sophomore defenseman
Maggie LaGue is tied for second in the nation power-play assists (11) and tied for sixth in power-play points (13). She ranks fifth in points per game among defensemen (0.75). Fellow sophomore defenseman
Kirsten Welsh leads all defensemen in goals (nine) and is eighth in points per game among defensemen (0.71).
Trending
Redshirt junior
Brittany Howard has posted a point in 23 of 28 games on the season. She recently improved to second place on the all-time individual career points list. She is eight points away from being crowned the new all-time points leader in RMU history. Sophomore defenseman
Maggie LaGue has recorded a point in seven of her last 10 games.
Making Their Mark
The 2017 squad is tied for second place all time in single-season wins in RMU lore. The Colonials are two conference victories from becoming the winningest team in CHA contests in program history. The 2013-14 squad currently holds the record with 13 league victories.
Follow RMU Women's Hockey:
@RMUWHockey
@rmuwhockey
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