SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- While fans of the
Robert Morris women's hockey team who followed them remotely were bracing for a winter storm that never came, the Colonials power play made sure their College Hockey America counterparts were buried in an avalanche.
RMU scored three times in 5-on-4 situations before
Lexi Templeman added a short-handed empty-net goal to salt away a 5-1 win over Syracuse at the Tennity Ice Pavilion Saturday afternoon. The sophomore forward capped a game that began two hours earlier than scheduled in light of the treacherous forecast for the area by notching her first goal in 15 games (Oct. 26 vs. Lindenwood) with 1:07 to play.
Sophomore defender
Emily Curlett and senior tri-captain
Amber Rennie broke the game open on the PP less than two minutes apart in the second period, and fellow fourth-year
Caitlyn Sadowy helped Robert Morris end the day 3-for-7 with her third-period strike.
Templeman was a force to be reckoned with throughout the contest, adding two assists and four shots on goal out of six attempts. The 5'2" KW Rangers product from Staffa, Ontario also went 6-for-7 on faceoffs, and she is second on the team with 18 apples and 21 points after finishing with 21 in her All-CHA Rookie Team campaign.
Opening the scoring for the Colonials (9-11-4, 7-2-1), for the second time in as many games, was junior forward
Natalie Marcuzzi, whose 11 faceoff wins matched the team-high total of
Jaycee Gebhard, the NCAA leader. The two-time CHA Student-Athlete of the Year, centering Sadowy and
Sarah Quaranta on head coach
Paul Colontino's blue-collar second line, led a trio that continues to be a presence for the Robert Morris offense.
"We've been together quite a few years in a row now, so we know how each other plays. We're always there to support each other, and I think that's huge," said Marcuzzi. "In tight situations, we know what's important and how to do the things that make a difference, and we know it's not just points."
On Friday, RMU kept goaltender Maddi Welch busy from the opening faceoff but had nothing to show for its first period efforts. For the series finale, the Colonials flipped the script, overcoming a 9-5 first-period shot deficit and being the more opportunistic squad.
An offensive zone penalty by the Orange (5-17-1, 5-5-0) with exactly one minute remaining in the period set up a 4-on-4 scenario that began with Marcuzzi controlling a draw to Welch's right.
Maggie LaGue found her between the circles, and her backhander beat both the Syracuse netminder and the screen established by former Mississauga Jr. Chiefs teammate Sadowy for her seventh goal of the season, and a lead the Colonials never surrendered.
"I think a lot of it is focus, and experience, and working with the right people at the right time," Marcuzzi said of her career-high output, which was padded this weekend. "My line is clicking well, and it's a good way to start the new year off. It's something I've basically been looking to do all season--to be a contributor."
Syracuse captain Allie Munroe got into penalty trouble in the second period, at which point RMU made her and her team pay. Following a slashing call, LaGue fed Curlett for a one-timer from the left side that made it 2-0 Robert Morris with 10:33 left, her third power play goal out of five total markers this season.
After Munroe was sent off for boarding, Gebhard set up Templeman for a redirection right in front that was stopped. Rennie drove the net and lifted the rebound over Welch for her eighth of the year and a 3-0 cushion with 8:43 remaining, prompting Syracuse coach Paul Flanagan to use his timeout.
Welch later denied Marcuzzi on a breakaway, and that save loomed large when Lindsay Eastwood, Friday's heroine, got Syracuse on the board 5:12 into the third period with a power play goal of her own from the right point. The Colonials buckled down defensively, however, limiting the Orange to five third-period shots on goal, and they had an answer seven minutes later with Munroe in the box for hooking.
A centering pass from Quaranta was missed by Curlett, but Sadowy was at the right side of the net to poke it home for her fourth of 2018-19. Templeman won the race to a puck the Colonials cleared with the Orange skating 6-on-4, and she easily cashed in from the right circle to provide the final margin.
"We turned it around really well from yesterday," Marcuzzi said. "We worked really hard today. We were winning a lot of battles, we were working together and, basically, shook all the rust off. I think that we're rolling now."
Curlett and LaGue co-led all competitors with five blocked shots apiece, and the former had seven of ten shot attempts blocked herself. LaGue's two helpers put her at 87 career points, one behind fellow senior tri-captain
Kirsten Welsh for the all-time program lead among defenders. Welsh missed her seventh consecutive game due to a lower-body injury.
Gebhard's assist, the 69th of her career, moved her past RMU Athletics Hall-of-Famer Brianna Delaney for fourth all-time. The CHA leader with 20 apples, she is also tied for seventh nationally and continues to pace Division I in both power play points (18) and total faceoff wins (328).
With the Mercyhurst-RIT finale postponed due to Winter Storm Harper, Robert Morris opens up a three-point lead in the conference standings as it returns home to face the Tigers. The Colonials welcome RIT for its 13th annual "Skate For The Cure" week as a member of CHA.
The opening faceoff of the team's Mental Health Awareness Game is set for 7:05 p.m. ET Fri., Jan. 25 at the RMU Island Sports Center, with the teams meeting again Sat., Jan. 26 at 3:05 p.m. ET. Fans can Skate with the Colonials after Friday's contest for free with their own skates, or for just $3.00 to rent from the ISC front desk.
The women's hockey team has stated a fundraising goal of $5,000 for various mental health programs by next weekend. Visit
rmucolonials.com for tickets and
nguradio.org/donate to donate.
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