PITTSBURGH -- Filling the skates of the top two-way defender in College Hockey America has been no mean feat for the Robert Morris women's hockey team, but they just might have found her successor.

The Colonials (11-11-4, 9-2-1) held off a vastly improved RIT squad thanks to a third consecutive game-winning goal by sophomore blue-liner Emily Curlett, who later filled an empty net to secure a 2-0 win at the RMU Island Sports Center and series sweep of the conference rival Tigers (9-12-4, 5-6-0) Saturday afternoon.

Despite missing 2018 CHA Defender of the Year Kirsten Welsh for nine games in a row due to a lower-body injury, RMU has won three straight to hang onto its three-point lead over Mercyhurst in the conference standings and allowed only three goals in the process. The Colonials have built a six-point cushion, for that matter, in the race to secure one of two available first-round byes in the CHA Tournament Mar. 6-8.

Curlett, whose eight goals in her All-CHA Rookie Team regular campaign established a program record for first-year defenders, has matched that output with eight regular-season contests still to play. Her four power play markers are one shy of tying teammates Jaycee Gebhard and Amber Rennie, among several others, for the most in the nation.

"I set my personal goals pretty high for this year. It feels pretty good to actually start working towards those," said Curlett.

"She has a quick trigger, and she can shoot from almost anywhere. It's almost the equivalent of, in football, having a safety out there on offense," head coach Paul Colontino added. "She's floating, and reading, and she becomes a threat to score anytime she's out there, and the puck is in the offensive zone.

"To her credit, she's been making great reads on when to jump in, and when to peel back. If she can continue to do that, she's going to continue to find herself in a very successful spot."

The 5'5" Lapeer, Michigan native also blocked a team-best 13 shots for the series while registering a game-high 11 on goal Saturday.

Most impressive, on a day when continuing their recent mastery of RIT was made difficult by Terra Lanteigne with 35 saves, was the way she and the defensive corps supported fellow Michigander Lauren Bailey at the other end.

Bailey only had to make 14 stops to nail down her tenth victory of 2018-19 and 20th as a collegian, leaving her one behind Elijah Milne-Price '18 for the fourth-most in Colonials history. Two of her three shutouts as a senior have come against the Tigers.

"We were really strong defensively. They got pucks out when they needed to, and they kept my rebounds clear, which was good," the Choate Rosemary Hall product said. "It's definitely been tough having Welsh out, but everyone has done great at just doing their jobs. That makes mine easier."

Sixteen of the game's first 18 shots on target belonged to the Colonials. A kick save by Bailey on Ellie Larson after an RIT penalty kill with little over five minutes remaining, followed by a blatant miscue in front that was cleaned up nicely by Gillian Thompson, was as close as the visitors came to finding the net in the first period.

True to the adage, both goaltenders were their respective teams' best penalty killers going forward. The Tigers were able to tilt the ice in the opposite direction with 4:23 left in the middle frame and Sarah Lecavalier in the box for roughing, but Bailey, aided by blocks from Gebhard and Curlett, denied all five shots that made it through.

Gebhard was dominant from a puck possession standpoint, going 17-7 on faceoffs for a Division I-best 357 wins on the season. A fantastic cycle by her top unit eight minutes into the second period ended with a Lanteigne glove save, and the RIT netminder had to combine for nine stops on a relentless pair of RMU power plays to keep her at bay and keep her team within reach late in the game.

Perhaps it was only a matter of time, however, before penalty trouble came back to haunt the Tigers. As Abby Davies served a too-many-players minor, Gebhard sailed the puck to Curlett in the left circle, and the Little Caesars U19 standout hammered a one-timer that even Lanteigne couldn't catch up to for the difference-maker with 14.8 seconds until the second ice cut.

Gebhard, with her primary assist, took sole possession of third on the RMU all-time scoring chart with 123 career points, moving past Thea Imbrogno '14. Senior tri-captain Maggie LaGue also had a history-making helper to celebrate after seeing one awarded to Sarah Quaranta in a scoring change the night before. Her 76th all-time gives her 88 career points, tying Welsh for the most ever by a Colonials defender.

Lanteigne was pulled with 1:40 left in regulation, but LaGue and Rennie got in the way of shots during the 6-on-5 advantage for RIT. Following a key faceoff win by Gebhard, Curlett generated a turnover at center ice and tucked her long shot just inside the far post with :36.1 remaining.

Robert Morris, with 22 power play goals, is now tied with Colgate for the NCAA lead, and their seven empty-netters are just two behind the Raiders for the top spot.

Meanwhile, RMU went a perfect 7-for-7 on the PK for the series. Dating back to the 2016-17 season, it has killed off 42 of its past 43 penalties taken against RIT.

"They're absolute machines. They don't shut down. It's incredible," said Colontino, marveling at his defense. "It's exciting to watch, as a coach, and if you're one of their teammates, it has to excite you and get the adrenaline going. They continue to find ways to move the puck north with authority...and on the 'D' side of the play, they're doing a nice job with the one-on-one battles."

"It's really important, especially when you can't necessarily put a ton of goals in the net," Curlett said. "It's awesome to have that brick wall, and then a second brick wall in front of that. It makes us all a little bit nervous, but I think it also makes us all pretty excited when we come up with a big play."

After taking their 12th straight meeting and 15th in 16 from the Tigers, the Colonials will settle in for a bye week before another CHA series at Penn State Feb. 8-9. Both 1:00 p.m. ET contests from Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania can be seen free on GoPSUSports.com.

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