SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The No. 9 Robert Morris women's hockey team had its destiny in its own hands entering the weekend, and it used both to seize the moment.

The Colonials (20-7-4, 14-3-3) took care of business at Tennity Ice Pavilion Saturday afternoon, looking as businesslike as could be in squeezing the juice out of the Orange, 4-0, to win a second straight College Hockey America (CHA) regular-season championship.

RMU begins its CHA Tournament title defense at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York next Fri., Mar. 2, against the lowest remaining seed. Syracuse (12-20-2, 11-8-1) settled for the third seed and a first-round date with RIT next Thursday.

One of the most dangerous lines in the nation, once again, chased one of the conference's premier goaltenders, as Amber Rennie continued her career year with her second goal in as many games, while Jaycee Gebhard and Patty Kazmaier Award top-ten finalist Brittany Howard each added a goal and an assist in a three-goal second period.

"We knew we needed both wins, and everybody just bought in," Gebhard said. "It was a great weekend all around, from the defense and goaltending to the forwards. It felt great."

Meanwhile, the legend of senior goaltender Elijah Milne-Price continues to grow. With 25 saves, she became the first Colonials goalie to pitch back-to-back shutouts twice in the same season, and she set a new program record with her sixth of the year, breaking the record of five attained twice by Jessica Dodds '17.

Entering the postseason, she also has a chance to surpass Dodds' marks for best single-season goals-against average and save percentage. Milne-Price has a 1.64 GAA that is up to eighth nationally, and a .933 save percentage. Dodds finished 2013-14, her rookie year, with a 1.66 GAA and .932 save percentage.

"It really just speaks to how well we're playing defensively right now," said Milne-Price, who has four of those aforementioned shutouts over her past six outings, going the last 128:29 without allowing a goal. "Looking at how [few] goals our 'D' is letting up, the complete games that we're playing right now, it's huge for us. We have to take that into the playoffs, too."

Robert Morris ended the regular campaign unbeaten in nine of its last ten, and its 12 goals allowed in that span are tied for the second-fewest in the NCAA over that stretch.

"As the season goes on, there's ups and downs, but I think, now, we're just fine-tuning things. We know what we've got to do, and everyone knows their roles. Everyone's done a good job filling those roles, and going above and beyond," Milne-Price added.

Arch-rival Mercyhurst gave itself a shot at the crown by splitting with Robert Morris last weekend and sweeping RIT Saturday. However, the Colonials wasted little time making it clear this would be their day, and, fittingly, a pair of linemates from Pittsburgh and Syracuse hooked up for the only goal necessary to order another banner for Colonials Arena.

Just 2:20 into the game, Emilie Harley fed Steel City denizen Anjelica Diffendal, and her fellow rookie forward crashed the net and forced the puck past Abbey Miller in traffic for her fourth goal of the season.

That, too, was a record-breaker, as it made the 2017-18 Colonials the highest-scoring squad in program history, besting the 103 goals they scored just two seasons ago. A critical Milne-Price save on an early second-period breakaway made it stand up until head coach Paul Colontino's top unit found its groove.

"She tried to go five-hole, and I ended up stopping it," Milne-Price said. "When they come in slow, you just kind of have to wait them out, wait for them to make a move, and react."

The save loomed larger when Howard took a lead pass from Natalie Fraser with 12:18 left in the period, outraced the Orange defense and fired it past Miller while barreling toward the net to continue her Patty Kaz push and punctuate her second consecutive CHA scoring title.

The redshirt senior and assistant captain from St. Thomas, Ontario ended the regular campaign with a career-high 23 goals (t-8th, NCAA) and 46 points (10th, NCAA). Her 77 career goals and 178 career points are both second-most among active collegians, while her 101 career assists are tied for second-most.

"I don't really have words for how proud I am of her," said Milne-Price, who recently accompanied Howard to the latter's coronation as Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year. "I see the work that she puts into it all summer. She's a player who never takes a shift off, even in practice. She's always competing, making every single player on this team better. Her compete level and talent is something I've never seen before.

"I'm proud to have her as one of my best friends, as well as a teammate."

Howard collected that 101st career apple on a drop pass to Gebhard that she wristed over Miller's glove for her 13th goal as a sophomore and a 3-0 RMU lead with 8:04 to go in the middle frame.
 
"I just think I've had a lot more confidence than maybe I had at the beginning of the year, and I know that playing with the girls around me has made me a lot better," said Gebhard, who has racked up nine goals and 15 points over the past ten games. "Coming into crunch time, I knew I had to be better than I was at the start. That kind of fueled my fire."

Two minutes later, Gebhard set up fellow Saskatchewan native Rennie for her 15th of the year and the final margin. The Rennie-Gebhard-Howard trio has combined for 109 points (51 G, 58 A) in 31 games approaching the CHA Tournament.

Last season, en route to the program's second conference tournament victory and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, they combined for 120 in 34 games while playing together.

"It's crazy how much better you can make yourself by playing with someone like Brit. And playing with Rennie for, whatever it's been, 12 or 13 years now, it's awesome," Gebhard said. "There's still a connection."

The Colonials need only two more wins to return to that elite field of eight, and, this weekend, looked very much like a team on a mission to leave behind a legacy that reads even better than the story of the 2016-17 team.

"Last year, we had a lot of depth, but this year, I think our depth might be stronger. We have a group that can play with any team's top line, and obviously, our goaltending has been huge, so far, for us," Gebhard said, reflecting upon her first two seasons at Robert Morris. "And playing and beating teams like Ohio State earlier in the year, that beat [other] top-ten teams, we know that we're good enough to beat anybody on a given day.

"We're a confident team, and we know we can beat another first-place team in a couple weeks, if we really put our minds to it and everybody comes to play."

"We want to take the momentum we have now going into the playoffs," Milne-Price agreed. "We're just excited to go to Buffalo and start our second season."

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