Women's Hockey | 1/18/2019 8:12:00 AM

PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris women's hockey team resumes its 2018-19 season when it faces the Orange of Syracuse University this weekend, the first of six consecutive series against College Hockey America opponents to conclude its regular campaign. The opening faceoffs from the Tennity Ice Pavilion in Syracuse, New York are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET Friday and 1:00 p.m. ET Saturday and can be seen live on Cuse.com.

The Colonials hold a one-point lead atop the CHA standings in pursuit of their third straight regular-season crown, five points ahead of third-place Syracuse. They also hold a 17-15-9 edge all-time versus the Orange, with a 9-9-2 mark at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

Robert Morris (8-10-4, 6-1-1) at Syracuse (4-16-1, 4-4-0) - Jan. 18-19
Fri., Jan. 18 (7:00 p.m. ET) - LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
Sat., Jan. 19 (1:00 p.m. ET) - LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS

Robert Morris has won three of its previous four meetings on the road, including the last meeting between these teams, a Feb. 23-24, 2018 series sweep that clinched back-to-back regular-season CHA titles. RMU defended its regular-season crown with 5-0 and 4-0 wins at Syracuse last winter.

Additionally, the Colonials also clinched their second postseason crown ever with a shutout of the Orange, a 2-0 result Mar. 4, 2017 at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York.

Key Notes

• The 2017-18 Colonials scored a team single-season record 122 goals, and the game-winner by Anjelica Diffendal 2:20 into the first period of the Feb. 24, 2018 contest established the new mark. The 2018-19 squad ranks second in CHA with 3.00 goals per game in conference play, only 0.12 behind Syracuse.

• Jaycee Gebhard was named the December Player of the Month by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association, the first in CHA history to win a WHCA monthly award. She also became the first player in RMU history with three straight CHA Player of the Month awards in the same season (Oct.-Dec. 2018) after leading the circuit with four goals in three December games. She got her second career hat rick in a 4-1 win over Penn State Dec. 1 and became the fifth Colonial with 50 career goals at No. 2 Minnesota Dec, 7, 2018.

• Gebhard registered a point in 14 straight games Oct. 20-Dec. 7, 2018 to set a new Robert Morris record. She is sixth in the NCAA scoring race with a CHA-best 33 points, and her conference-high 15 goals tie her for sixth in Division I. She still leads D-I with 11 power play assists and 16 power play points, tying for the lead with five PPG's, and is also tops with 305 faceoff wins.

• Amber Rennie earned a point in a career-high seven straight games Nov. 16-Dec. 7. Natalie Marcuzzi also established a new career high by notching her fifth goal of the season to open the scoring versus Penn State Dec. 1.

• The Connecticut Whale made Maggie LaGue the second NWHL draftee in RMU history Dec. 20, 2018 with the 22nd overall pick in the fifth round of the NWHL Draft. LaGue has collected 84 career points at RMU, four behind fellow tri-captain Kirsten Welsh for the all-time lead among defenders, and she helped collect 332 stuffed animals for the Autism Society of Pittsburgh in the team's third annual Teddy Bear Toss Nov. 30.

• Goaltender Raygan Kirk (Ste. Anne, Manitoba/Eastman), who committed to Robert Morris in 2017 and will be part of next season's rookie class, was named MVP of the Women's Under-18 World Championship tournament in Obihiro, Japan. Kirk posted a 2.08 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage for Team Canada, including 27 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over the United States in the gold medal game Jan. 13.

• Sophomore forward Alison Rodgers, another projected member of the 2019-20 team, transferred to RMU from Minnesota Duluth for the 2019 spring semester, which began Jan. 14. Rodgers, a 5'8" Oswego, New York native and Biomedical Engineering major, will practice with the team and be eligible to compete as a junior next fall after skating in 35 career games with UMD.

• RMU has played 22 games this season, which was the most of any team in Division I prior to its semester break. It is tied with RIT for the most in CHA.

An "A" For Effort
• Jaycee Gebhard led College Hockey America with her 25 assists in 2017-18, tying for 14th nationally. She is in an eighth-place tie on the NCAA chart with her 18 apples this season. Gebhard, with her 62nd career helper on Kirsten Welsh's third-period equalizer versus Minnesota State Nov. 16, passed Rebecca Vint '15 for fifth-most in RMU history. With 67 career assists, she needs two more to surmount Brianna Delaney for fourth. She recorded one in six of the eight games during the team's Nov. 9-Dec. 1 homestand.

Worth The Wait
• After its 3-3 tie with No. 7 Cornell Nov. 24, 2018, the Colonials have not lost in their last 17 games that went to overtime (5-0-12), dating back to a 3-3 draw on Oct. 22, 2016 at Merrimack. Nine all-time meetings with the Orange have gone to extra time, and at least one has in four of the past five seasons.

Chasing History
• Jaycee Gebhard became the fifth Robert Morris player to amass 100 career points with her power play goal Nov. 9. With her next goal, Gebhard will match Thea Imbrogno '14 for fifth on the all-time chart. Amber Rennie became the eighth player in Robert Morris history to reach the 40-career goal plateau versus No. 7 Cornell Nov. 23. With 12 regular season games remaining, Rennie needs 11 more points to become the sixth Colonial to 100.
• Gebhard and Rennie tied Megan Picinic '09 for fourth in RMU history with eight career game-winning goals after each got one at RIT Nov. 2-3. Gebhard pulled ahead of Brianna Delaney for third all-time with her tenth career GW Dec. 1 versus Penn State.
• Three-time CHA Goalie of the Week Lauren Bailey has climbed into fifth place in program history, past Daneca Butterfield '11, with 17 career victories. The next target for Bailey will be Elijah Milne-Price, her former teammate, who sits fourth in Robert Morris history with 21 wins all-time.

Oh Captain, My Captain
• Amber Rennie, Kirsten Welsh and Maggie LaGue are the first tri-captains in program history. Ten different players have now worn the "C" under Paul Colontino, while Jaycee Gebhard was named the lone assistant captain. The 2018-19 leadership group has combined for 74 (31 G, 43 A) of the team's 138 points (53.6%) entering Friday.

New Kids On The Block
• Emily Curlett set a career high with her eight blocked shots against Penn State Dec. 1. The 2018 All-CHA Rookie Team selection led all CHA defenders in 2017-18 with 70 blocks and she now leads the NCAA with 94 after finishing second in D-I in blocks as an RMU newcomer. Wasyn Rice set a new season high with her eight blocked shots at No. 2 Minnesota Dec. 8.
• Lexi Templeman finished the 2017-18 season with a .559 faceoff win rate, third among CHA rookies, and also made the All-CHA Rookie squad. Templeman has maintained the CHA lead (.670) through Thursday and is now fourth in the NCAA. Her .672 win rate in CHA play ranks second in D-I.

In Our Defense...
• Wasyn Rice earned her first career goal 6:08 into the second period of the team's 3-2 win over Penn State Nov. 30, the seventh time in nine November games RMU got a goal from a defender. Entering Friday, the 2018-19 squad has combined for 14 goals from its defensive corps, which is tied for second-most in Division I. Individually, Kirsten Welsh is tied for fourth among NCAA defenders with her five goals, and Maggie LaGue ninth with her 15 points (4 G, 11 A).

The Third Period Is Our Period
• The +9 goal margin by the Colonials in third periods ranks eighth in D-I. They have scored an NCAA-best ten power play goals and 29 power play points in third periods.

You Can Go Home Again
• Syracuse native Emilie Harley recorded two of her five assists as a rookie in 2017-18 against the Orange.

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