Madison, Wis. – For the first time in program history, the Colonials are going dancing. The 2017 CHA Champion No. 8
Robert Morris University women's hockey team hosts top seed, No. 1 Wisconsin in the 2017 NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 11 at 3 p.m. (EST) in LaBahn Arena on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.
The winner of Saturday's tilt will advance to the 2017 Women's Frozen Four, set for March 17-19, at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Robert Morris (24-4-6, 15-3-2 CHA) earned its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament through an automatic bid after claiming its second CHA Championship title in program history. The Colonials are riding a five-game unbeaten streak, and have outscored their opponents, 11-2, over that span.
Wisconsin (31-2-4, 22-2-4 WCHA) booked their ticket to the national tournament after the Badgers claimed the 2017 WCHA title. Wisconsin is 15-1-2 in the confines of LaBahn this season, and enters the race for a national championship title amidst a 20-game undefeated streak, the longest active unbeaten stretch in the NCAA.
| ROBERT MORRIS AT THE 2017 NCAA QUARTERFINALS |
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| SATURDAY, MARCH 11 |
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Puck Drop |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
Radio |
| ROBERT MORRIS | WISCONSIN |
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3:00 p.m. (EST) |
WPT |
NCAA |
iHeart Radio |
Robert Morris versus Wisconsin
Wisconsin | 31-2-4, 22-2-4 (WCHA)
Wisconsin owns the all-time record between the Colonials and the Badgers, 7-1. The teams last met in Pittsburgh in 2010.
Key Notes
Robert Morris enters the 2017 NCAA Tournament riding a five-game winning streak, while Wisconsin kicks off the national tournament seeking to extend a 20-game unbeaten-streak, the longest active unbeaten stretch in the NCAA.
Four-time NCAA Champion Wisconsin enters the national tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2012.
Both RMU and UW rank among the top 10 teams in the nation in scoring offense, scoring margin, power play, penalty kill, combined special teams, and team winning percentage. The Robert Morris and Wisconsin PK are ranked No. 3 and No. 1, respectively.
RMU enters the NCAA Tournament having won seven of its last eight contests, including the last five games. Senior goalie
Jessica Dodds has shutout victories in three of her last five starts to increase her career total to a program-record fourteen shutouts. Dodds was named Most Outstanding Player of the CHA Tournament, and joined junior
Jessica Gazzola and redshirt junior forward
Brittany Howard on the CHA All-Tournament Team.
Top-line trio
Amber Rennie,
Brittany Howard and
Jaycee Gebhard have combined for 120 points through 34 games, averaging 3.53 points per game.
Freshman forward
Jaycee Gebhard leads the nation in power-play goals (nine) and points per game among rookies (1.35).
Redshirt junior forward
Brittany Howard ranks seventh in the nation in both points and assists per game. She's tied for first in power-play points, and ranks second in power-play goals.
Junior forward
Jessica Gazzola leads the Colonials with four game-winning goals, including both game winners in the CHA Semifinals and CHA Championship game. Gazzola enters the national tournament riding a three-game point streak.
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.
Top Talent
RMU ranks second in the nation in penalty kills (158), fourth in power-play goals (31), ninth in goals per game (3.12), ninth in goal margin per game (+1.15), and tenth in goal margin (+39).
CHA Standouts
Freshman forward
Jaycee Gebhard was named CHA Rookie of the Year. She leads the league in goals (22), goals per game (0.65), power-play goals (nine), power-play points (19), plus-rating (+38), and plus-minus (+20). Gebhard paces the nation in power-play goals and points per game among rookies (1.35). Redshirt junior forward
Brittany Howard was named CHA Player of the Year. She leads the CHA in points (50), assists (30), power-play points (19), points per game (1.47), and plus-rating (+38).
Getting It Done on Defense
Sophomore defenseman
Maggie LaGue leads the nation in power-play assists (12) and is tied for seventh in power-play points (14). Fellow sophomore defenseman
Kirsten Welsh ranks fifth in points per game among defensemen (0.68).
Milestone Watch
Redshirt junior forward
Brittany Howard improved to second place on the all-time individual career points (132) list. She is three points away from being crowned the new all-time points leader in RMU history. Last weekend, freshman forward
Jaycee Gebhard set a new RMU record for single-season points by a rookie (46). She is tied with Rebecca Vint for most goals scored by a rookie in her debut campaign (22). She is two power-play tallies shy of the single-season record (11), set by Vint as a freshman in 2011-12.
Wisconsin Connection
Junior defenseman
Leah Carey, a native of Middleton, Wis., returns home to play in front of family and friends at LaBahn Arena, located just minutes away from where Carey was raised.
CHA Sweep
Robert Morris raked in multiple awards at the CHA Championship Awards Banquet: Head coach
Paul Colontino – CHA Coach of the Year;
Brittany Howard – CHA Player of the Year (first in RMU history), CHA Scoring Trophy (first in RMU history), All-CHA First Team;
Jaycee Gebhard – CHA Rookie of the Year (fourth in program history), All-CHA Second Team, All-CHA Rookie Team;
Jessica Dodds – All-CHA First Team;
Kirsten Welsh – All-CHA First Team
Trending
Redshirt junior
Brittany Howard has posted a point in 28 of 34 games on the season. Freshman forward
Jaycee Gebhard has points in her last nine outings, which marks a career high.
Making Their Mark
The 2017 squad is tied for first all time in overall wins (24) in a season in RMU lore. They are the winningest team in CHA contests in program history (15-3-2).
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