Women's Hockey | 10/17/2019 7:00:00 PM

PITTSBURGH -- For the second straight weekend, the 10th-ranked Robert Morris University women's hockey team will host a ranked foe at the RMU Island Sports Center, as No. 4 Clarkson visits Pittsburgh for the first time in 12 years. 

No. 10 ROBERT MORRIS (2-2-0) 
vs. No. 4 CLARKSON (3-1-0)
Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3:05 p.m.
RMU Island Sports Center
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WATCH Stretch Internet VIDEO ($)

CATCHING UP
Twice last weekend, Robert Morris rallied to tie No. 2 Minnesota in the third period, but both times the Golden Gophers skated away with a win. In the series opener last Friday, RMU pushed Minnesota to overtime courtesy of sophomore Michaela Boyle's extra-attacker goal; on Saturday, it was junior defender Emily Curlett who knotted the score before the visitors pulled away with four unanswered.

For her efforts -- one goal, two assists, 11 shots on goal, 20 blocked shots -- Curlett was named College Hockey America Co-Player of the Week. RMU top scorers Jaycee Gebhard (goal, assist) and Lexi Templeman (two assists) stayed in the top 10 nationally with nine points apiece. For their collective performance, the Colonials rose into the USCHO rankings for the first time since 2017-18, rating as No. 10 in Division I.

HISTORY LESSON
Robert Morris has taken on Clarkson eight times previous to this, going 1-6-1. However, the only win in the all-time series game in 2007, which was also the only time the Golden Knights visited the Island Sports Center. Former RMU assistant coach Chelsea Walkland scored the first goal in that 3-1 victory over Clarkson, while future U.S. Olympian Brianne McLaughlin-Bittle stopped 25 shots.

More relevant to this weekend, the Colonials visited Potsdam, New York, last October and dropped a pair of tight games to the then-No. 1 Golden Knights. Gebhard scored three points (one goal, two assists) in the series, Templeman earned two assists and Diffendal lit the lamp to pull RMU within a goal in the second game.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
After sweeping RMU's league rival Syracuse by a combined score of 9-4, Clarkson split a pair at Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. Senior Kayla Friesen paces the Knights with four goals and seven total points, while junior Elizabeth Giguere (three goals, three assists) and freshman Gabrielle David (six assists) are close behind. Junior Amanda Zeglen (.939 SV%) and sophomore Marie-Pier Coulombe (.909) have each started twice in net.

Last year, the Golden Knights followed up their back-to-back NCAA national championships by going 30-8-2, winning the ECAC tournament for a third straight year and making it back to the national semis before bowing to eventual champ Wisconsin. Winners of three national titles over the past six seasons, Clarkson has posted a winning record in 14 of its 16 previous seasons.

COLONIAL CHATS
"I always liked to shoot a lot. When I got here, I realized how much of an asset it can be."

Junior defender Curlett talked with Matt Gajtka about using her shot as a weapon, blocking opponents' shots, and why the Colonials have a shot against anybody ...
   


And here's head coach Colontino on taking lessons from the Minnesota series and prepping the team for another big home challenge ...



KNOW BOBBY MO
• The Colonials return 16 players from their latest championship outfit, headlined by Gebhard, RMU's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 144 career points. The native of Saskatchewan led the CHA last season with 51 points (19g, 32a), setting a new RMU record in the process. She ranked first in the nation in power-play points (23) and assists (19), and was fifth in D-I with 1.42 points per game.

• In addition to All-CHA First Team representative Gebhard, the Colonials welcome back juniors Templeman and Curlett, both of whom were named to the All-CHA Second Team last spring. Templeman, a forward, ranked second on the team in points (32) and assists (26), with the latter total being the third-highest in team history. Curlett, a defender, chipped in 11 goals, 10 assists and an incredible 148 blocked shots, which was the most in D-I.

• Goalie is a position of interest, with freshman Kirk joining returners Arielle DeSmet and Molly Singewald in a three-player stable. DeSmet, a sophomore from Vermont, took over the starter's role late last season, posting a .920 save percentage in 10 appearances. Kirk, a Manitoban, won MVP of the 2019 World Under-18 World Championship and was invited to Team Canada's all-ages Development Camp in August. Both Kirk (.919 SV%) and DeSmet (.900, one shutout) have started twice so far this season. 

• The Colonials welcome seven newcomers to the squad, five of them forwards. Redshirt sophomore transfer Michaela Boyle comes to Moon Township from Clarkson University, where she helped the Golden Knights to the 2018 national championship as a freshman. Joelle Fiala (Saskatchewan), Marah Wagner (British Columbia), Maggy Burbidge (Nova Scotia) and Allyson Hebert (Ontario) all supplement the forward corps, while Anna Fairman (Michigan) adds to the blue line.

• Boyle has four points (three goals) in her first four RMU games, but she hasn't been the only fresh face to get on the scoresheet early. Fiala, Hebert and Burbidge each earned their first points (all assists) during the two-game sweep of Union, while Wagner earned her first NCAA goal in the second game against Minnesota. 

• Once again, RMU will be a showcase for locally-developed hockey talent. Junior winger Anjelica Diffendal was raised in Robinson Township and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth program in 2016-17 before joining the Colonials. She participated in all 36 games as a sophomore, scoring three goals and three assists.

• According to a preseason coaches poll, the Colonials were picked to finish second in the six-team CHA, with Mercyhurst getting the top spot. RMU, which received one first-place vote, has finished in the top half of the CHA in seven of the past eight seasons. The Colonials were also heard from in the first USCHO national poll of 2019-20, receiving one 10th-place vote for an unofficial standing of 13th in the survey.

• Once again, RMU will boast a robust non-conference schedule to go with its 20-game CHA slate. Including last week's showdown with Minnesota and this week's collision with Clarkson, the Colonials will challenge each of the top four teams in the final USCHO poll of 2018-19, with last year's semifinalist Cornell set as the first road trip Oct. 25-26. Defending national champ Wisconsin will be the opponent Jan. 4 in Cranberry Township, Pa.

• Speaking of the holiday season, RMU is teaming up with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-of-its-kind four-team tournament to take place Jan. 4-5 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township: The Battle at the Burgh. In addition to Wisconsin, the Colonials will welcome Northeastern and Colgate -- both of which finished in the USCHO top 10 last spring.

• Familiar faces return behind the bench, led by ninth-year bench boss Paul Colontino. He's assisted by associate head coach Logan Bittle '08, who enters his 10th season behind the bench after four years playing for the RMU men's team. Fellow alum Jen Kindret '13 joins the staff as an assistant; the former forward played under Colontino and Bittle at the end of her tenure a Colonial.

THE COLONTINO FILE
Returning for his ninth season in charge of the Colonials, Colontino boasted an overall record of 149-94-36 in his first eight seasons. In his first year running the team, RMU claimed its first championship of any kind, the 2012 CHA tournament title, while improving by 13 victories. A two-time CHA Coach of the Year and a one-time USCHO National Coach of the Year, Colontino was also behind two 24-win seasons (2013-14, 2016-17) and the program's first NCAA tournament berth, in 2017.

Before coming to Robert Morris, Colontino had served as associate head coach at Mercyhurst since 2006. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach with the women's team at the University of North Dakota for four years. Colontino began his coaching career as an assistant with Mercyhurst in 2000. As a player at Mercyhurst, Colontino was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and an All-MAAC First Team selection.

HONOR ROLL
The following Colonials have been honored by College Hockey America for their performances this season ...
Jaycee Gebhard - Player of the Week (Sept. 30)
Arielle DeSmet - Goaltender of the Week (Sept. 30)
Raygan Kirk - Rookie of the Week (Sept. 30)
Emily Curlett - Player of the Week (Oct. 14)

MARCH WITH THE COLONIALS
In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.

NEXT UP
The Colonials will hit the road for the first time this season, taking on No. 5 Cornell in Ithaca, New York, next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26.