Wentzville, Mo. – For the first time in program history, the No. 9 Robert Morris University women's hockey team clinched at least a share of the 2016-17 College Hockey America (CHA) Regular-Season Title, and secured the No. 1 seed in the 2017 CHA Tournament with a 2-1 win at Lindenwood Friday evening in Lindenwood Ice Arena.
 
RMU (21-4-6, 14-3-2 CHA) can take the regular-season title outright with a tie or win over Lindenwood (5-23-2, 3-15-1 CHA) tomorrow afternoon, or a Syracuse tie or loss to Penn State.
 
Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard scored both goals for the Colonials to increase her total to a team-leading 22 on the season. Senior defenseman Mikaela Lowater, sophomore forward Amber Rennie, and sophomore defenseman Kirsten Welsh each tabbed an assist. Senior goaltender Jessica Dodds recorded 25 saves.

"Every game up to this point has been so tight," said head coach Paul Colontino, "so this win feels really good," he added after clinching the program's first regular-season title. "We're definitely happy."

The Colonials controlled the puck throughout the third period, and their patience and persistence paid off with just over three minutes of regulation remaining. With the score tied, 1-1, Welsh wound up for a one timer, and Gebhard guided the puck past Lindenwood goaltender, sophomore Jolene deBruyn, to give Robert Morris its first lead of the game, 2-1. The advantage held through the final few minutes of action, and the Colonials sealed their fate as the first RMU squad to clinch a regular-season title, as well as the No. 1 seed in the league's postseason tournament.

"We had some great momentum where we were controlling the puck," Colontino said of the team's late heroics. "We had to work extremely hard for our opportunities and our goals, and Jaycee was able to deflect it in and that was it. It was an exciting, hard-fought game, and I guess in the grand scheme of things, probably fitting that in order to clinch [the regular-season title], it was one of those gutsy, gritty Colonials wins."

Gebhard netted the equalizer for the Colonials midway through the second period. The freshman forward found herself all alone in the slot, and cashed in on her own rebound to put Robert Morris on the board. Dodds and the Colonials' penalty kill helped keep the Lions from regaining a lead late in the second, as Lindenwood earned two power-play opportunities following the Gebhard goal.
 
Robert Morris fended off a Lindenwood power play in the opening period, but the Lions tabbed an even-strength goal later in the frame to hit the board first and secure an early, 1-0 lead.

"Going down a goal early doesn't necessarily help in terms of nerves," Colontino pointed out post game, "but we had good leadership and our girls fought hard."

RMU outshot Lindenwood, 38-26, overall, including a 13-6 mark in the third frame. Both squads were perfect on the penalty kill. The Lions blocked 21 shots to the Colonials' 10 blocks.
 
The two teams cap their regular-season schedule Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m. (EST).

Colontino and the Colonials will enjoy the win tonight and what it means for the program, but will head into tomorrow's game with the same philosophy they have preached all season long.

"It's actually pretty simple because it's something we do every weekend," said Colontino. "Whether we win or lose on a Friday night, once we wake up the next morning, we've absorbed what happened the night before, and that next morning we clean the slate. We get after it again and look to put together a better performance than the night before."

 
 
2016-17 CHA Regular-Season Champions!
For the first time in program history, the Colonials earned the CHA Regular-Season Championship title. In doing so, Robert Morris secured the No. 1 seed in the CHA Tournament. RMU can take the regular-season title outright with a tie or win over Lindenwood tomorrow afternoon, or a Syracuse tie or loss to Penn State.
 
Where They Stack Up
The Colonials currently lead the CHA standings by two points, ahead of Syracuse (14-12-5, 13-4-2) and Mercyhurst (14-17-2, 10-8-1).
 
Leading the Way
Top-line trio Amber Rennie, Brittany Howard and Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 112 points through 31 games, averaging 3.61 points per game.
 
Milestone Watch
Redshirt junior forward Brittany Howard is six points away from being crowned the new all-time points leader in RMU history.
 
Trending
Redshirt junior Brittany Howard has posted a point in 25 of 31 games on the season. Freshman forward Jaycee Gebhard has points in her last six outings. Her career high is a seven-game point streak from Dec. 4 to Jan. 21.
 
Making Their Mark
The 2017 squad ranks second all time in wins (21) in a season in RMU lore. With tonight's victory, they are the winningest team in CHA contests in program history (14-3-2 CHA).
 
The Postseason Approaches
The Colonials secured the No. 1 seed in the 2017 CHA Tournament. The tournament central page includes a game schedule and link to ticket sales for the event, which is set to be held at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, N.Y., March 2-4.
 
 
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