PITTSBURGH -- The
Robert Morris women's hockey team adopted the mantra "Never Give Up" to promote and raise funds for its Mental Health Awareness Game, and then it showed that determination on the ice in a key College Hockey America battle.
The Colonials (10-11-4, 8-2-1) teamed with RIT to "End the Stigma" against mental health issues, and, in the process, ended a four-game winning streak by the Tigers (9-11-4, 5-5-0) with a 3-1 victory at the RMU Island Sports Center Friday night.
Furthermore, Robert Morris, playing at home for the first time in nearly two months, ended a long-holding pattern of struggles in series openers in order to preserve its three-point lead over Mercyhurst for the top spot in the conference.
"If there was one thing I'd probably put the finger on, it's that our players just refused to take no for an answer," head coach
Paul Colontino said. "They kept pushing and pushing...and when we did that, we held ourselves up defensively as well, when needed.
"We finally got the one we needed, and we couldn't be happier."
RMU carried a 35-13 shot advantage into the third period, when
Emily Curlett beat Terra Lanteigne to her glove side with 11:14 remaining. The sophomore defender went top corner on Lanteigne, a five-time CHA Goalie of the Week winner this season, with a powerful wrist shot from the top of the left circle for her sixth goal of the year and second consecutive game-winner.
Juniors
Sarah Lecavalier and
Natalie Marcuzzi set up Curlett, giving Marcuzzi the first three-game point streak of her career, and points in four of her past five home games overall.
"I think we were all just really excited to play back at home, and came back with a different mentality," said Curlett. "We had a lot of confidence, and we played cohesively."
That confidence would be tested down the stretch, with the Colonials clinging to that one-goal lead. Dating back to the 2016-17 season, the Colonials had killed 35 of their last 36 penalties taken against RIT entering Friday, and when Marcuzzi was whistled for a trip in the neutral zone with three minutes left, they would need their PK to come through again.
It did, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 on the night, even after Colontino's counterpart, Chad Davis, pulled Lanteigne shortly after using his timeout for the 6-on-4 advantage. The Tigers did not register a shot on goal, thanks to a pair of blocked shots by both Curlett, who tied her career high with eight, and fellow blue-liner
Maggie LaGue.
"Those shifts are definitely not easy," Curlett laughed. "After about a minute, your legs start to go. A minute and a half, your legs are still gone, and you're just trying to get through the shift. It's running through your mind...don't let up this goal, don't let up that goal, just get a clear. And you just do it."
Junior assistant captain
Jaycee Gebhard extended her CHA-best point total to 38 by leading a pass to
Amber Rennie, who easily finished into the empty cage for her ninth of the campaign with 2.3 seconds to spare. Gebhard is now tied with Thea Imbrogno '14 for third in RMU history in career points (122), and the Colonials now stand alone at second in the nation with their six empty-net goals.
LaGue picked up the secondary helper, giving the senior tri-captain 88 career points. This puts her in a tie with
Kirsten Welsh, who missed her eighth straight game with a lower-body injury, for the all-time program lead among defenders. The Barre, Vermont native is already tops in RMU history for assists by a defender (76).
Another 5'8" North American Hockey Academy product, sophomore forward
Alison Rodgers, made her Colonials debut after transferring from Minnesota Duluth during the holiday break. Rodgers skated on a line with
Leah Marino and
Janey Sandoval in place of
Mackenzie Krasowski, who was sidelined with an upper-body injury.
The teams traded early goals in each of the first two periods. RIT struck just 2:57 into the opening frame, with Madison Farrand finishing a backdoor play from Tori Haywood right in front of
Lauren Bailey.
Sarah Quaranta needed only 1:04 to tie the game in the second. A good keep by
Emilie Harley at the left point found its way along the boards to
Caitlyn Sadowy, who skated into traffic and connected with a wide-open Quaranta at the opposite side of the exposed net for her second goal as a senior.
"It was a good pass by Sads. I just had to have my stick down on the ice. It felt good to see it go in, for sure," said Quaranta after her first score at Colonials Arena since Jan. 29, 2016. "We just need to have the same mentality every game--keep working hard and get pucks on net."
Bailey earned her ninth win of the season and 19th as a collegian, leaving her two behind former teammate
Elijah Milne-Price '18 for No. 4 in team history.
Meanwhile, the Colonials, as a team, earned a rich perspective on a prevalent issue in intercollegiate athletics as they tried to achieve their off-ice goal of raising $5,000 for the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA), Athletes Against Anxiety and Depression (AAAD) and the Lift The Mask initiative.
"We're proud of the players for the way they've represented the program, and the way they've taken hold of the cause," Colontino said. "It's very important for our players to have an awareness for other things that are happening in their world. When you can find a way to help those things, it's good. (Operations Director) Liam (Cavanagh) has done a great job organizing it, and the players have done a phenomenal job this weekend."
Robert Morris faces RIT once again Saturday at 3:05 p.m. ET. Fans can visit the Island Sports Center lobby for tickets and see the game live on the CHA Digital Network (subscription required).
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