Women's Hockey | 10/24/2019 12:29:00 PM

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Ranked in the national polls for the second straight week, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team hits the road for the first time, taking on a third consecutive ranked opponent in Cornell.

No. 8 ROBERT MORRIS (2-3-1) 
at No. 5 CORNELL (0-0-0)
Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m.
Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y.
FOLLOW via LIVE STATS 
WATCH on ESPN+ ($)

CATCHING UP
The Colonials overcame a two-goal deficit of each game last weekend against No. 4 Clarkson, taking the Golden Knights to overtime on back-to-back days at the RMU Island Sports Center. RMU tied last year's national semifinalists 3-3 in the series opener, then lost 6-5 in sudden death in the rematch.

Because of the strong showing, RMU climbed from No. 10 in the USCHO national poll to eighth, one place shy of a program high in that particular survey. Junior defender Emily Curlett (three goals, three assists, 15 blocked shots) was honored as College Hockey America's Player of the Week for the second straight week.

HISTORY LESSON
The Colonials have faced Cornell five times previous, including a pair of matchups last November on Neville Island. The Big Red prevailed 5-2 in the opener of that series, but RMU shoved back in the second game, rallying from two down in the third to earn a 3-3 tie. Curlett scored a pair of power-play goals in the comeback.

RMU's only previous trip to Ithaca was nearly nine years ago to the day, as the Colonials dropped a pair of regulation games to the No. 1 Big Red. Robert Morris beat Cornell 2-1 on the road in the first-ever meeting between the programs, back in 2008.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Like the rest of its Ivy League sisters, Cornell will start its season this week. The Big Red is coming off another banner year, as they won the ECAC regular-season title with a 17-3-2 mark in league play. After that, Cornell advanced to the ECAC tournament final (loss to Clarkson) and the NCAA tournament semifinal (loss to Minnesota). 

Coached by 15th-year bench boss Doug Derraugh, the Big Red return four of their top five scorers from last year, including preseason All-ECAC selections Jaime Bourbonnais and Kristin O'Neill. Cornell has made seven of the past 12 NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Frozen Four in four of those years.

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 149 career points. Gebhard is on pace to challenge last year's program-record total of 51 points, as she has an eye-popping 14 (6g, 8a) through six games. The native of Saskatchewan has scored in every game so far and ranks in the national top five with 2.3 points per game.

• In addition to All-CHA First Team representative Gebhard, the Colonials welcome back juniors Lexi Templeman and Curlett, both of whom were named to the All-CHA Second Team last spring. Templeman, who piled up 26 assists last season, already has 10 in the opening six games this season. Curlett, meanwhile, is nearly halfway to last year's total of 21 points, notching five goals and assisting on five others so far.

• With help from the aforementioned high-scoring trio, the RMU power play has proven to be especially dynamic early, converting on 12 of 35 opportunities for a 34.3 percent success rate that ranks third of 41 Division I teams. Gebhard (2g, 7a) has factored in on nine of those PPGs, while Templeman (1g, 6a) and Curlett (5g, 2a) have taken part in seven. Also, sophomore Michaela Boyle has six of her seven points on the advantage, and junior defender Emilie Harley has two of her four assists in power-play situations.

• The Colonials welcome seven newcomers to the squad, five of them forwards. Redshirt sophomore transfer 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) and Maggy Burbidge (Nova Scotia) supplement the forward corps, while Anna Fairman (Michigan) and Allyson Hebert (Ontario) add to the blue line.

• Boyle has seven points (five goals) in her first six RMU games, but she hasn't been the only fresh face to write her name on the scoresheet early. Fiala, Hebert and Burbidge each earned their first points (all assists) during the two-game sweep of Union, while Wagner (Minnesota) and Burbidge (Clarkson) earned their first goals against ranked foes. Burbidge leads RMU freshmen with three points (1g, 2a), while Fiala has two assists.

• Goalie is a position of interest, with freshman Raygan Kirk joining returners Arielle DeSmet and Molly Singewald. 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% in two starts) and DeSmet (.884, one shutout in four starts) have played so far this season. 

• 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 this month's showdowns with Minnesota and 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, Oct. 21)

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 be back at Neville Island for their fourth home series of the season, opening CHA league play against Penn State on Nov. 1-2.