COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Robert Morris women's hockey team found some life by finding some answers for red-hot goaltender Kassidy Sauve, but it couldn't find enough in a 5-2 loss to No. 8 Ohio State at OSU Ice Rink Saturday afternoon.

This marked the first time the Colonials (12-6-3, 6-2-2) were swept in a series since they fell at Syracuse Feb. 12-13, 2016. Not counting this series, they played a total of sixty games in that span, including standalone regular-season and postseason contests.

It was their first time being swept by a non-conference opponent since bowing at No. 4 Quinnipiac Jan. 15-16, 2016.

Although the ever fast-starting Buckeyes (15-5-4, 8-2-4-3) buried their third unanswered goal on a first-period power play, RMU got salvation from its penalty kill just 2:20 later. Amanda Pantaleo got the puck to Jaycee Gebhard, who flew down the left side. Gebhard made a perfect saucer pass to Kirsten Welsh, who finished on the doorstep for her seventh of the year.

Jessica Gazzola, coming off a good showing in last week's split with visiting Syracuse, gave Robert Morris more hope with just under five minutes to go in the second period when she took advantage of an OSU giveaway in its own zone. She drove the net, cradling the puck one-handed at one point before slipping it past Sauve for her second of the year.

Unfortunately, RMU could get no closer with its own power play, as Ohio State's redshirt junior netminder stole the show with 44 saves, including 13 on the PK. She denied Gazzola on a third-period breakaway after Brittany Howard had narrowly missed one at the second-period expiry, and a subsequent pair of goals by the hosts 43 seconds apart thwarted the comeback.

Welsh, along with fellow blue-liner Emily Curlett, led all competitors with seven shots on goal. Her shorthanded tally was the first ever for the top-scoring defender in Colonials history (23 G, 42 A), moving the team into a national second-place tie with seven of those.

Furthermore, that 65th career point put Welsh into a three-way tie for tenth all-time at RMU with Cobina Delaney and current teammate Amber Rennie.

Pantaleo, who scored the only Robert Morris shorty of last season, registered her first short-handed point since her game-winning goal at Lindenwood Nov. 4, and she also enjoyed her first multi-point game since the Nov. 3 series opener at LU.

Gebhard, meanwhile, extended her College Hockey America (CHA) assist lead with her 17th helper as a sophomore.

Howard keeps her comfortable CHA scoring lead, coming off the 2016-17 conference scoring title, with 30 points. Her 162 lifetime points remain the second-most of any active NCAA player, and her 72 all-time goals are still just two shy of breaking the RMU record set by Class of '15 teammate Rebecca Vint.

Vint's current team, the Isobel Cup champion Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), travel to Pittsburgh for a special neutral-site game against the Connecticut Whale Sunday. The Beauts drafted Howard with the league's tenth overall pick back on Aug. 17, 2017.

No. 9 Robert Morris will try to break back into the win column when it begins its CHA stretch run at RIT next Friday at 2:00 p.m. and next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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