Women's Hockey | 10/26/2018 6:36:00 AM

PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris women's hockey team welcomes one of its College Hockey America rivals, the Lions of Lindenwood University, to the RMU Island Sports Center Friday and Saturday. The opening faceoffs from Colonials Arena are scheduled for 3:05 and 1:05 p.m. EDT, respectively, and can be seen on the CHA Digital Network (subscription required).

A free, continuous shuttle will run between Lexington and Concord Halls and the front doors of the Island Sports Center 2:00-10:00 p.m. Friday to accommodate fans traveling to this week's women's/men's doubleheader. The men's team hosts RIT in a pair of 7:05 p.m. Atlantic Hockey matchups Friday and Saturday.

Call 412-397-4949 or visit the ISC front desk for tickets Friday. Admission to Saturday's women's game is free, as part of Family Weekend 2018 at Robert Morris University and the team's concurrent Halloween celebration.

Fans attending both Saturday games are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes for a contest sponsored by the RMU Band. The winner, announced during the second intermission of each game, receives store credit to the Island Sports Center Pro Shop.

In addition, all are welcome to register for the Clearview Federal Credit Union "Penalty Box Trivia Challenge" during each of this weekend's women's and men's games for a chance to win $50.

Robert Morris (3-5-0, 1-1-0) vs. Lindenwood (1-5-0, 0-2-0) - Oct. 26-27, 2018
Fri., Oct. 26 (3:05 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM ($) | LIVE STATS
Sat., Oct. 27 (1:05 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM ($) | LIVE STATS 

Robert Morris is coming off a split at Mercyhurst, the defending CHA Tournament champion, in its first conference series of the 2018-19 regular season.
 
The Colonials swept their 2017-18 regular-season series with the Lions. They blanked Lindenwood three times, including 1-0 and 5-0 wins in their last visit to Colonials Arena Feb. 9-10. This was part of what would become 181:09 of scoreless play by goaltender Elijah Milne-Price '18, a new program record.

RMU is 26-7-1 all-time versus Lindenwood, including a 17-3-0 mark at the Island Sports Center. It has won ten of its past 11 meetings from the Lions.
 

Key Notes

• With its 5-1 victory last Saturday at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, RMU earned its most lopsided win in the history of its rivalry with the Lakers. Natalie Marcuzzi scored with 4:54 left in the first period, which would prove to be her second career game-winner and first since the CHA Tournament Semifinal versus Penn State at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York Mar. 2.

• Jaycee Gebhard registered three points (G, 2 A) to lead Robert Morris offensively last Saturday. Both helpers came on power plays, putting her in a tie atop Division I in power play assists (4) and power play points (6) entering Friday. Gebhard is also tied for fifth in the D-I scoring race with ten points (4 G, 6 A), as well as the top spot in CHA scoring.

• Gebhard, the RMU Athletics Female Student-Athlete of the Week, registered four points (3 G, A) in the regular-season series with Lindenwood for 2017-18. She enters the weekend with 11 career points (6 G, 5 A) against the Lions.

• In addition, Gebhard has maintained the overall Division I lead with her 108 faceoff wins. Her .565 faceoff win percentage ranks ninth in CHA entering Friday. RMU comes in with the second-most team faceoff wins in D-I (249).

• Lauren Bailey made 20 saves to earn her second win of the season last Saturday, and her .952 save percentage was a single-game high for 2018-19. Bailey has allowed only two even-strength goals over her last three starts.

• Kirsten Welsh got the Colonials on the board Oct. 20 with a power play tip-in with 6:49 left in the first period, her second PPG of the season. That gave her 16 all-time and put her past Kristen Miles '09 for fifth in RMU history. Dating back to the 2016-17 season, Robert Morris is unbeaten in 22 of the past 26 games in which Welsh has recorded at least one point.

• An assist on Lexi Templeman's goal last Friday allowed Amber Rennie to grab sole possession of eighth place on the RMU career scoring chart, with her 76th point. Rennie would add a power play goal Saturday for her 77th.

• Emilie Harley scored the first goal of last weekend's series for either team 8:07 into the first period, her first tally since Oct. 20, 2017 at Brown. Sarah Lecavalier assisted for her first point since moving from forward to defense prior to the beginning of the '18-'19 regular season.

An "A" For Effort
• Jaycee Gebhard led College Hockey America with her 25 assists in 2017-18, tying for 14th nationally. She ended last season with assists in four straight games, including the CHA Tournament Final, and she earned one in three of her first four games this season. Gebhard, who is tied for sixth in program history with 55 career apples, needs only one more to pass former teammate Katherine Murphy '18. Murphy was an assistant captain in 2017-18 before Gebhard assumed the role.

Worth The Wait
• Sarah Quaranta scored with 9:29 left in the second period at Mercyhurst Oct. 20 for her first goal since Jan. 29, 2016, versus Lindendwood. It was the game-winning goal in a 5-2 RMU victory, assisted by Maggie LaGue and Amber Rennie.
 

Chasing History
• With her third-period goal at No. 1 Clarkson Oct. 6, Jaycee Gebhard moved past longtime teammate and fellow Saskatchewanian Amber Rennie for the lead in their career goals race. Gebhard's 39 goals put her alone in seventh place in Robert Morris history, leaving Rennie in eighth, with 37, entering Friday. In addition, Gebhard took sole possession of seventh place all-time from Megan Picinic '09 with her power play goal in that game, the 14th of her career.

They Are "Soph"
• Sophomore defender Emily Curlett matched her career high with six blocked shots versus St. Lawrence Sept. 29 and fell just shy with five versus RPI Oct. 12. Curlett led all CHA defenders in 2017-18 with 70 blocks and now ranks fourth in D-I with 27.
 

You Can Go Home Again
• On Nov. 4, 2017 at Lindenwood, Anjelica Diffendal skated on a line with former Penguins Elite teammate Morgan Schauer in the latter's RMU debut. Diffendal joins Chelsea Burdzy (2011-12) and current Pens Elite assistant coach Ashley Vesci (2012-16) as the third "Steel City" citizen to play for the program.

You Feel Shame For Two Minutes, And Then You Get Free
• Robert Morris has killed off each of its last 12 penalties against Lindenwood. In 2017-18 the Colonials reached an 88.5% success rate on the penalty kill in regular-season conference games that was ninth in the NCAA. Their 91.7% success rate at home is currently second-highest in CHA.

Flashback Friday
• The most famous home-ice win over Lindenwood in Robert Morris history came in postseason play, a 2-1, triple-OT triumph in the CHA Tournament Mar. 2, 2013. After a Cobina Delaney goal 8:04 into the third bonus period, set up by Rebecca Vint and Kylie St. Louis, a Colonials record for longest game and an NCAA mark for single-game saves had been established. Lindenwood rookie Nicole Hensley, a 2018 Olympic gold medalist, turned aside 90 pucks over all 108 minutes in defeat.

Not Lion Down On The Job
• On Nov. 3, 2017 at Lindenwood, in the team's conference opener, Caitlyn Sadowy scored on a Robert Morris power play in a 6-0 win for her first official goal since the 2015-16 season and first-ever game-winning goal. Kirsten Welsh helped round out the scoring that night with a late assist and a PPG of her own with 2:05 left in regulation. This made her the all-time leading scorer among defenders in RMU history.

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