PITTSBURGH -- While No. 2 Minnesota escaped the RMU Island Sports Center on Saturday with a second win, the
Robert Morris University women's hockey team acquitted itself better than the 6-2 final score might indicate.
In fact, when
Emily Curlett pounded in a pass from
Lexi Templeman at 1:15 of the third period, the Colonials (2-2-0) found themselves within a goal of their biggest upset win in 15 years of Division I play. For the second straight day, they were level with Minnesota in the final frame.
But, the unbeaten Golden Gophers (6-0-0) flexed their offensive might from there, scoring three times in eight minutes to lock up the result. RMU had outshot Minnesota 15-11 in a promising second period, but the visitors pushed back.
"It's about the level you have to be at for 60 minutes of hockey," RMU head coach
Paul Colontino said afterward. "We had times when we played the level we wanted to, then we dropped down. We need more people going, because there are some players who had massive weekends."
Curlett would certainly lead that bunch, as the junior defender from Michigan ended up with one goal, two assists, 11 shots on goal and a remarkable 20 blocks across the two games. Minnesota did well to limit RMU's top two scorers
Jaycee Gebhard and
Lexi Templeman, but each still picked up a pair of points in the series.
Saturday's potential heroes included freshmen forwardsÂ
Marah Wagner and
Joelle Fiala, who teamed up to give the Colonials a hasty lead. Just 2 1/2 minutes after the opening draw, Fiala unleashed a high shot that Gophers goalie Sydney Scobee couldn't handle, allowing a crease-crashing Wagner to pounce for her first NCAA goal.
"'Jo' got a good shot on net," said Wagner, a British Columbian winger. "I was lucky enough to get a loose puck there. I'm proud of all the freshmen. I feel like we're meshing really well."
Although the RMU power play would later tie the game on Curlett's backdoor goal, it backfired midway through the first, when Minnesota's Amy Potomak ran the gauntlet for a short-handed goal at 10:11. Colonials sophomore goalie
Arielle DeSmet thought she had Potomak's right-wing wrister pinned to her side, but it trickled into the goal.
Early in the second, Scobee stood firm to deny the Colonials on multiple A-plus chances during an impressive power play, part of a span in which RMU enjoyed extended offensive-zone time. Minnesota survived that, then took its first lead when Potomak added her second with five minutes left in the middle frame, sneaking the rebound of Taylor Heise's driving shot through DeSmet (33 saves).
It appeared the afternoon crowd at the Island was in for a thrilling finish similar to Friday's, but once Gophers defender Madeline Wethington's point shot drifted through traffic and into the RMU goal two minutes into the third, the visitors didn't look back. Insurance goals from Sarah Potomak (7:38) and Alex Woken (9:42) put MInnesota in a comfortable position for the first time on the weekend.
When RMU couldn't convert a six-on-four advantage with DeSmet on the bench midway through the third, the result was sealed. Although, the Colonials could take solace in most of their performance throughout this early-season showdown with last year's national finalist.
"We stayed head-to-head with them," Wagner said. "We kind of had a tough 10 minutes there, but I think we played great throughout the weekend. Really proud of the girls."
The challenge level will remain high next weekend, when Robert Morris wraps up a season-opening six-game homestand with No. 4-ranked Clarkson.Â
To score a result or two in that upcoming series, the Colonials will need a little more from up and down their lineup.
"If we can raise our team level," Colontino said, "it'll allow us to do a lot more."
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