MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – On the backs of their offensive defenders, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team rallied from a 3-0 second-period deficit to beat Lindenwood, 4-3 in overtime Saturday afternoon at the Centene Community Ice Center.
 
Junior blueliner Emily Curlett, the reigning College Hockey America Player of the Month, powered home the sudden-death winner at 2:28 of overtime, collecting her eighth goal of the season with a slapper from between the circles. The game-decider was Curlett's first at even strength this season.
 
That thunderous strike capped a four-goal rally for RMU (6-5-1, 4-0-0 CHA), which got two goals from junior defender Emilie Harley – including the tying tally with 5:40 left in regulation -- and another from senior captain Jaycee Gebhard.

Apologies to Gebhard, who continued her scintillating scoring start with her 25th and 26th points in RMU's 12th game, but Saturday was just the latest example of how offensively potent the Colonials' blue line brigade can be. Defenders have now contributed 11 goals and 26 assists on the year.

"It has a huge impact on games," said RMU head coach Paul Colontino. "Every person on the ice must understand they will be presented with an opportunity to score and should prepare for it. Our defenders understand that and take full advantage of it."
 
The Colonials chalked up a season-high 53 shots on goal, highlighted by a 20-2 advantage in SOG during the third. Lindenwood (2-8-2, 0-4-0 CHA) lost for the first time this season when leading after two periods, while RMU won for the first time when trailing through 40 minutes.

Sophomore goalie Arielle DeSmet earned the win with a 10-save effort in relief, including a couple of tough ones in overtime. She and Saturday's starter, freshman Raygan Kirk, have each presided over three victories so far.
 
"Part of what makes our team so special is everyone buys into our system and gives 100 percent effort every shift," Curlett said. "We've faced so much adversity this season and every time we've responded as a whole."

To Curlett's point, last month the Colonials battled through six consecutive non-conference games against top-five ranked foes, coming out the other side with four straight wins to start CHA play. They'll surely remember this one, which saw Lindenwood score on back-to-back shots in the first period and tack on a third with 7:50 gone in the second. 

From there, RMU summoned everything it had to jump back in it. Predictably, the always-dangerous power play played a part, with Harley sniping the Colonials onto the board from 30 feet away at 15:32 of the second. Gebhard nailed a left-flank wrister during another man-up advantage 2:10 into the third, pulling RMU within one and setting up a thrilling finish.

Harley delivered on that promise after several RMU near-misses, as the 6-foot defender wired a sharp-angle wrister through traffic and past Lions goalie Annika Asplundh. Harley's second NCAA multi-goal game set up the Colonials' fourth overtime of the season.

RMU had been 0-2-1 in the extra period, but Curlett insured a happy ending when she jumped on Courtney Kollman drop pass in the middle of the ice and got all of a trademark slapshot. The puck zoomed in and out of the net in a heartbeat, emphatically keeping the Colonials unbeaten and untied in league action.