ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- In trying to keep its early pace with College Hockey America front-runner Mercyhurst, the
Robert Morris women's hockey team rallied behind its two most recently decorated players to another conference victory.
Junior assistant captain
Jaycee Gebhard scored her CHA-best third game-winning goal of the season, and senior goaltender
Lauren Bailey posted her second shutout in three outings for the Colonials (6-5-1, 4-1-1), who blanked RIT 3-0 at the Gene Polisseni Center Saturday afternoon.
Gebhard, coming off the first CHA Player of the Month award of her career, prolonged her goal-scoring streak to five games, matching the length of the unbeaten streak RMU takes home after taming the Tigers (1-6-3, 0-2-0) for a tenth straight time and 13th in their past 14 meetings.
Bailey, the reigning CHA Goalie of the Week, upstaged Goalie of the Month Terra Lanteigne once again, making a season-high 26 saves and tying Sarah McDonnell of the aforementioned Lakers for the conference lead with her fifth win of the year.
The 5'9" Freeland, Michigan native and Choate Rosemary Hall product has allowed only one goal in her last 140:46 of action for Robert Morris, which has now swept its last four series at the Polisseni Center.
Lanteigne, for the second day in a row, did a fine job surviving an early barrage, with several of the Colonials' 14 first-period shots on goal coming during a late 5-on-3 advantage. She frustrated the RMU power play, particularly
Kirsten Welsh, who came as close as a hit post to Lanteigne's right with her trademark slap shot.
The Colonials kept pushing despite a scoreless first period, but that also led to opportunities in transition for RIT in the second. That's when Bailey stood especially tall, stopping an odd-numbered rush right on her doorstep at the beginning of the period, and another with 11:45 remaining.
They would finally get one for their capable netminder just a few minutes later.
Caitlyn Sadowy took a misplayed puck behind the Tigers net and passed it to rookie forward
Courtney Kollman in the right wing circle. Kollman backhanded it toward the cage, and Gebhard deflected it over Lanteigne's leg for her conference-leading eighth goal of the season.
Pending the rest of Saturday's Division I results, this put Gebhard in a second-place tie nationally. She also took sole possession of seventh in the overall NCAA scoring race with her 15 points.
When her linemate,
Amber Rennie, was sent off for tripping with 2:54 until the ice cut, Bailey preserved the lead with a great glove save on Kathryn Kennedy from long range. RIT head coach Chad Davis used his timeout in the final 1:10 to try and galvanize his team, but the Colonials killed off the remainder of the penalty, and the period.
Their work ethic was rewarded by a sophomore trio with 8:28 left in the third.
Emilie Harley drove the net and knocked down a clearing attempt, sending the puck to
Lexi Templeman. She backhanded it to
Anjelica Diffendal, who got behind her defender and tapped it into an exposed net from the opposite side of the crease for her second goal of the year, as well as Templeman's team-leading fourth assist of the series.
The 2018 All-CHA Rookie Team selection now has six points (1 PPG, 5 A) during her ongoing streak of four straight games with at least one.
Head coach
Paul Colontino used his own timeout to re-energize his troops with 3:43 remaining. Bailey responded with a sprawling save on Brittney Gout immediately thereafter, just as the Tigers pulled Lanteigne.
The 6-on-5 advantage for RIT turned into a 6-on-4 when
Natalie Marcuzzi was penalized for tripping with 1:41 left in regulation. The Robert Morris PK, again, toughed it out, and senior defender
Maggie LaGue hit the empty net from roughly center ice with three seconds to spare.
RMU has successfully killed 25 of its last 26 penalties against RIT dating back to last year's season series. The short-handed goal by LaGue was the team's first since last season, when it tied the school single-year record with eight.
The Colonials begin their longest homestand of the 2018-19 campaign with a non-conference series against No. 9/10 Colgate, last season's NCAA Tournament runner-up, Nov. 9-10. The first of four series in a row at the RMU Island Sports Center gets underway next Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET and continues next Saturday at 3:05.
Fans can call 412-397-4949 or visit
rmucolonials.com for ticket information.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
