ITHACA, N.Y. -- In its first road game of the season, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team was blanked, 6-0, by No. 5 Cornell on Friday evening at Lynah Rink.

The eighth-ranked Colonials (2-4-1) came up empty on 19 shots against Big Red goalie Lindsay Browning, including an 0-for-7 night for a power-play unit that entered the weekend with the third-best conversion rate in NCAA Division I. 

After a season-opening sweep of Union on Neville Island, RMU has played five consecutive games against top-five opponents. Friday's matchup with Cornell marked the first of those in which the Colonials haven't at least been tied at some point in the third period.

RMU freshman goalie Raygan Kirk held strong through two periods, stopping 26 of 28 shots, with a few spectacular denials mixed into the bunch. But defending ECAC regular-season champ Cornell (1-0-0) poured on four goals in the third to seize control in its season opener. 

On the positive side for the Colonials, they killed off all five Cornell power plays. But the Big Red's attack was too persistent to keep off the board at even strength. Paige Lewis scored on a slick backhand shot late in the first to nudge the home team in front, then Maddie Mills scored on a point-blank rebound six minutes into the second. 

By the time Kristin O'Neill and Jaime Bourbonnais scored less than three minutes apart early in the third, the Colonials had to turn their focus to Saturday's rematch. Junior goalie Molly Singewald made her second NCAA appearance late, stopping two shots in nine minutes of action.

Senior captain Jaycee Gebhard had her six-game season-starting point streak come to an end; she was second on the team Friday with three shots on goal. Junior defender Emily Curlett fired four shots as her five-game scoring run was halted.

RMU will go for the split at 3 p.m. Saturday.