PITTSBURGH -- Following a tough loss in its regular-season opener, the
Robert Morris women's hockey team was singing a happier tune after Saturday's series finale.
Mackenzie Krasowski could attest to that.
"We've got 'ABC' by Michael Jackson playing in the change room right now, so you could say things are going great," Krasowski said with a grin.
The rookie forward from Keswick, Ontario got her first official goal in a Colonials uniform, and defender
Kirsten Welsh made victory as easy as 1-2-3 with the first of her senior year 2:51 into overtime for a 3-2 win over St. Lawrence at the RMU Island Sports Center that could certainly be described as a "Thriller."
Senior goaltender
Lauren Bailey sailed a long outlet pass to
Jaycee Gebhard that the junior forward and assistant captain carried to the edge of the right circle. She sent it back to Welsh, whose one-timer, with familiar ferocity, beat Sonjia Shelly from just inside the blue line.
With that tally, the 29th of her career, the Blackstock, Ontario native took sole possession of tenth place on the school's all-time goal-scoring list, leaping past original Colonials Megan Picinic and Morgan Beikirch '08.
RMU has now gone unbeaten in its last 13 overtime appearances (5-0-8), a streak that dates back to Oct. 22, 2016.
"I can't take credit for that play. That play was solely our team," Welsh said. "We just had strong passes and a good breakout, and we kept pressuring them. We were on them for a good two minutes. Jay got it to the point, and I ripped it, but honestly, that wouldn't even have been a goal without all our hard work."
Although the Colonials (1-1-0) had looked anything but overmatched against the Saints (1-1-0) the night before, they brought a renewed energy throughout the rematch, accounting for all three shots on goal in the sudden-victory period and edging SLU 21-19 for the game.
"I think we outworked them the first game, they just had a couple bounces that were unlucky on our part," said Welsh. "We were just a more skilled team today."
"We tried to do a few things just a little bit differently today, and I think we were able to do that," head coach
Paul Colontino said. "Just a little more poise out there. It still got scramble-y at times, and obviously, we saw that, for both teams. When you're just starting your season, with two good teams out there...it's only natural you don't have the same hands, the same legs as you would midway through the season.
"They do a nice job down low, in their zone, just kind of taking away lanes to the net, so we had to come up with different ways to get pucks through and score, and I'm with that. We had some nice shots, and some nice goals from up top."
For Robert Morris, luck was the residue of that design. Justine Reyes, seeking a hat trick, began OT by firing a wrist shot from the right wing that hit off the far post behind Bailey and avoided crossing the line--a play that later withstood video review.
The first period turned into a battle of wits on special teams, with both PK units going a combined 4-for-4 in the first 20 minutes. RMU was awarded a two-player advantage midway through the period but came away empty-handed.
St. Lawrence made the Colonials pay for the missed opportunity 2:20 into the second, when Reyes beat Bailey with a wrister from the left side to break a scoreless tie. Robert Morris, however, answered right back, as Krasowski camped herself in front of the SLU net and got a piece of a
Gillian Thompson slap shot from the left point to make it 1-1 just 34 seconds later.
"It's kind of a relief," said Krasowski, whose deflection also earned rookie defender Thompson her first point as a collegian. "I've been here for, like, a month now, and all I've been waiting for is to get my chance. I finally did, and I got one on the board, and it feels so nice."
Less than four minutes later, a streak of five successful penalty kills by Robert Morris to start the season was finally halted. Reyes swatted a bouncing puck through Bailey's legs with 13:08 to go in the second and
Sarah Quaranta in the box for tripping.
Quaranta and the PK would both redeem themselves. With 7:55 remaining in the period, the senior forward snuck a pass from behind the goal line through a defender and right to a wide-open
Emily Curlett, and the sophomore blue-liner ripped a shot past Shelly from atop the right circle to tie the game again.
When Welsh was sent off for an illegal body check with 7:19 left in regulation, special teams not only preserved the 2-2 score, thanks in part to one of four blocks by junior forward
Natalie Marcuzzi, but also generated a shorthanded chance and did not allow the Saints a shot on goal.
Defensively, the Colonials jelled as a team. Curlett, who ranked second among NCAA rookies in blocked shots last season, led her squad with six, while senior tri-captain
Maggie LaGue had four of her own and finished the afternoon a plus-2.
Bailey, in taking her first win since Oct. 8, 2017, earned her keep as well. She made a well-read stop of a bouncing puck from distance in the third period, and her reflexive, tip-of-the-stick save while on her back in the waning moments of the first period kept the Saints off the board.
"Definitely celebrating it," Krasowski added, "but we have more to come."
Four of the Colonials' remaining non-conference series, in fact, are against opponents that finished in last season's final national rankings. Next week, Robert Morris takes the ultimate litmus test when it travels to consensus No. 1 Clarkson to face the two-time Division I national champions.
The opening faceoffs from Cheel Arena in Potsdam, New York are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively, Oct. 5-6.
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