PITTSBURGH -- Head coach
Paul Colontino had talked with his players during the week about the need to play "Colonial hockey." On Saturday the
Robert Morris women's hockey team displayed more than enough Colonial pride not to necessitate a hashtag.
A natural hat trick by sophomore forward
Emilie Harley, her first HT as a collegian, and, arguably, the most noble penalty killing effort of their 2018-19 season propelled the Colonials (13-13-6, 11-4-3) to a heartfelt 4-1 victory over College Hockey America arch-rival Mercyhurst (13-13-5, 10-6-2) at the RMU Island Sports Center.
Robert Morris achieved an invaluable split of both the weekend series and regular-season series (2-2-0) with the Lakers for the second season in a row. The Colonials, having restored their three-point lead over their I-79 counterparts in the CHA standings, are one win away from clinching their third consecutive regular-season conference championship.
"That's what we've been waiting for. At times, we bent, but we definitely didn't break," Colontino said. "We got huge blocked shots when we needed them, we got long, gutty shifts when we needed them from the PK, we got outstanding goaltending and we made huge plays on our goals. We're incredibly proud of the way the team responded to yesterday's game."
Statistically speaking, the special teams battle ended in a draw. Spiritually speaking, the Colonials dominated it by killing eight of nine penalties, and enduring an emotional roller coaster in the second period with help from Harley and rookie goaltender
Arielle DeSmet, making her fifth start of the season and first since Nov. 23 versus No. 7 Cornell.
DeSmet made 11 of her 25 saves in that middle frame, which began with RMU protecting a 1-0 lead. The 6'0" Harley had set up fellow second-year forward
Lexi Templeman, the 5'2" KW Rangers product, for a one-timer right in front of Kennedy Blair with a pass from the far corner with 9:29 left in the first, Templeman's fifth goal of the season.
The goal highlighted an energetic opening 20 minutes from the home side, which ended with the Colonials holding a 17-9 advantage in shots on goal.
Senior tri-captain
Kirsten Welsh, playing in just her second game back on the blue line since missing the prior 13 with a lower-body injury, was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for head contact after DeSmet was abused during a scrum in front of the Robert Morris net with 15:25 to play in the second. Emma Nuutinen tied the game with 14:31 remaining and
Morgan Schauer serving the major, thanks to a Samantha Fieseler rebound that ricocheted to the prolific forward in the right wing circle.
What followed a mere 1:14 later, however, was one of the more significant scores of RMU's regular campaign. Senior forward
Sarah Quaranta made a poke check just inside her own blue line and retrieved the puck for a two-on-one, streaking down the far boards with Harley headed down the middle. Quaranta waited until the last possible second to make her centering pass, which seemed to deflect off Harley's skate into the wide-open cage.
A very brief video review showed no evidence of a distinct kicking motion, upholding an invigorating short-handed goal for Robert Morris and the third tally of the year for the Syracuse, New York native en route to a career day at Colonials Arena.
"It's a great personal victory, but honestly, it was a huge team effort. Everybody in the locker room bought in today," said Harley after stepping outside a particularly boisterous RMU locker room. "We all knew what this game meant. To stay on top, we just gave everything out there to get it."
Senior tri-captain
Maggie LaGue then made one of her game-high seven blocks, DeSmet denied Vilma Tanskanen and Quaranta drew a hooking call on Sam Isbell that washed out the remainder of the extended Lakers power play.
Still, Mercyhurst turned the attacking zone into a zoo, out-shooting the Colonials 12-6 in the period, and the hosts couldn't avoid the zebras.
Emily Curlett was nabbed for a hooking minor of her own with nine minutes until the second ice cut, and, making matters worse, the Lakers benefited from a questionable tripping call on another defender,
Wasyn Rice, when the rookie was trying to play a loose puck in the neutral zone.
The RMU special teams boxed out effectively in front of DeSmet, who did well to read a cross-ice pass and stop an attempt on the far side of the Colonials goal just before Curlett was released. Harley, who won four of her six faceoffs on the afternoon, got a big one to help her team get back to full strength.
"I think we played really well defensively. Those were all great kills, knowing that, no matter what [was] thrown at us, we could play through adversity and pull out the win," DeSmet said. "Playing those moments minute by minute, shift by shift, and in small increments of time makes it a lot easier to get through the game."
"It's kind of what we've been saying: whatever adversity is thrown our way, take it on the chin and keep moving forward. That's what players did," said Colontino. "We had those long shifts where people stayed steady and focused, and that was really it. They had great composure through thick and thin."
Curlett had further difficulty staying out of the sin bin, but Robert Morris, as one, kept its poise again. After she went off for tripping in the first minute of the third period, Harley won another big faceoff, as did conference leader
Jaycee Gebhard (428 in '18-'19; 4th, NCAA), and DeSmet kept Nuutinen from inching any closer to Gebhard in CHA's goal-scoring race.
"Being able to have the back of my team, and being able to be in net for this one is huge. It means a lot," the first-year netminder said.
Midway through the third, Curlett drew a penalty for RMU, which ramped up its cycle with an extra attacker on the ice during the delayed call. The former Little Caesars U19 standout fired the puck from high between the circles, and Harley knocked the rebound past Blair for a huge insurance goal with 9:03 left in regulation.
Gebhard, with the secondary assist on the play, bumped her conference-leading point total to 47. The junior assistant captain has a chance to catch team records held by former linemate
Brittany Howard '18 for single-season assists (30) and points (50) with one final regular-season series to play.
Blair was pulled inside the game's final two minutes, at which point Templeman helped Harley put away the desperate Lakers. The diminutive winger, after losing her stick during a backchecking sequence, slid along her backside and kicked the puck out of danger from within the Robert Morris blue line.
Harley won the race to the end of the Mercyhurst zone and tucked it inside the empty net with 1:24 to go.
"It's huge. It's our rival, obviously, so we knew it was going to be a hard game," she said. "Coming off a hard loss...we actually changed quite a bit. We changed our forecheck, we switched up the lines a lot, and everybody was paying attention. Everybody knew when they had to go and was giving a hundred percent the whole time."
"We feel like we had every player show up in their position, whether it was one shift or twenty shifts, and that was just huge," Colontino corroborated. "Our young kids took a couple of great steps forward today, finding a new gear and a new level. That's what you need, and that's what you need in the playoffs."
Before the postseason begins, Robert Morris welcomes Syracuse to the Island Sports Center next Friday at 7:05 p.m. and next Saturday at 3:05 p.m. ET to conclude regular-season play. The Orange have moved into a second-place tie with Mercyhurst.
Prior to the Mar. 2 season finale, the Colonials will honor their 2019 senior class, consisting of Welsh, LaGue, Quaranta, forwards
Caitlyn Sadowy and
Amber Rennie and goaltender
Lauren Bailey, as part of Senior Day festivities.
Fans can visit
rmucolonials.com or the ISC lobby on gameday for tickets. The series can also be seen live on the CHA Digital Network (subscription required).
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