Women's Hockey | 6/26/2018 10:48:00 PM
PITTSBURGH -- Four months after the 2017-18
Robert Morris women's hockey team earned back-to-back regular-season titles in College Hockey America (CHA), one of its most outstanding scholar-athletes has earned a back-to-back CHA title off the ice.
Forward
Natalie Marcuzzi was confirmed as a two-time CHA Student-Athlete of the Year by the conference Tuesday, having posted a 4.0 grade-point average for the past academic year. The 5'7" Thornhill, Ontario native, who appeared in all 33 games as a sophomore and centered the fourth line for the Colonials in postseason play, was one of only five CHA players to repeat as a Student-Athlete of the Year.
Six members of the '17-'18 RMU squad comprised the 15 total Student-Athletes of the Year honored by CHA this year, a new conference record. Fellow forwards
Jessica Gazzola (3.74),
Emilie Harley and
Lexi Templeman joined Marcuzzi in that group, along with defenders
Natalie Fraser (3.63) and assistant captain
Katherine Murphy (3.78).
Those six were the most of any CHA member. In addition, Robert Morris led all teams in its conference with 20 total representatives on the 2017-18 CHA All-Academic Team, or 87 percent of its active roster.
Lauren Bailey,
Leah Carey,
Emily Curlett,
Jaycee Gebhard,
Maggie LaGue,
Elijah Milne-Price,
Amanda Pantaleo,
Sarah Quaranta,
Amber Rennie,
Caitlyn Sadowy,
Janey Sandoval,
Morgan Schauer,
Molly Singewald and
Kirsten Welsh are the others who made the cut.
To qualify for the CHA All-Academic Team, the student-athlete must post a 3.0 GPA or better in all academic semesters in which her team was actively competing.
Marcuzzi is a product of the Mississauga (Ontario) Jr. Chiefs, the same amateur team from which CHA All-Academic honorees Sadowy and Milne-Price came to RMU. She finished her sophomore campaign with new career highs in goals (four), assists (three), points (seven) and plus/minus rating (+2), including the game-winning tally in the CHA Tournament Semifinal versus Penn State Mar. 2.
Besides Marcuzzi, rookies Harley and Templeman also finished their school years with a 4.0 GPA. Quaranta (3.79), LaGue (3.80), Gebhard (3.93) and Curlett (3.97) were among the team's top students in 2017-18 as well.
Curlett (Lapeer, Michigan//Little Caesars 19U) and Templeman (Staffa, Ontario//KW Rangers) were previously named to the All-CHA Rookie Team. The 5'5" defender and 5'2" forward, respectively, both finished top-five in CHA rookie scoring.
One of the national leaders in blocked shots (70), Curlett also set a new Colonials record for first-year blue-liners with nine goals while finishing with 18 points, and Templeman, who racked up ten goals and 21 points, led Robert Morris with five power play tallies.
With an accomplished senior class that included Carey, Fraser, Gazzola, Milne-Price, Murphy and team captain Pantaleo, the 2017-18 Colonials became the third team in program history to win 20 or more games en route to their second straight regular-season conference crown and CHA Tournament Final berth.
Their 122 total goals scored were an RMU single-season record, and they tied for ninth in Division I with 70 goals allowed.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
