PITTSBURGH -- What began as a celebration of the Class of '19 by the
Robert Morris women's hockey team ended with its '21s and '22s triumphantly grabbing the torch from the six players who had engineered some of the greatest moments in program history.
Rookie forward
Leah Marino and previously unheralded sophomore
Janey Sandoval touched off a second-period explosion by the Colonials offense in a 4-2 win over College Hockey America rival Syracuse at the RMU Island Sports Center Saturday afternoon.
Their first career goals at Robert Morris (15-13-6, 13-4-3) helped the team conclude its regular season with a sweep of the Orange (10-21-3, 10-8-2) for the second year in a row.
The Colonials, by virtue of clinching their third consecutive CHA regular-season title Friday, await next Wednesday's CHA Tournament First Round results to learn the identity of next Thursday's semifinal opponent.
After they shook off an understandably slow start to take a 1-0 lead early in the second period, Marino beat Maddi Welch with a wrist shot from between the circles, set up by Sandoval, to double the advantage with 9:42 left in the middle frame.
The far-flung connection of West Fargo, North Dakota to South Lake Tahoe, California also provided the final spark for RMU with 13:28 to go in regulation. Marino, the first Californian ever to play for its women's program, took a pass from Sandoval, entered the left circle and beat Welch to the glove side to make it a 4-1 game.
"Obviously, it was a big game for us, but without our seniors, we wouldn't be able to do what we did today," Marino said of head coach
Paul Colontino's fourth line. "It was awesome having their support all season, with them pushing us and cheering us on to get better and better every day. I had confidence when I had those shots because of them."
"Leah, Janey and Rodge (
Alison Rodgers) jumped in, and with a lot of ice time today, with some huge goals, some great shifts," said Colontino, whose team guaranteed itself an above-.500 overall finish for the sixth time in his eight-year tenure. "They really found a way to contribute offensively today, which was outstanding."
The extra hop from another first-year forward,
Courtney Kollman, who was noticeable all weekend, led to what proved to be the game-winning goal. She accepted a two-line pass, in stride, from senior
Caitlyn Sadowy and cut hard to the net through the right circle before Welch denied her.
Sandoval, however, was in the perfect spot to pounce on the rebound, which she put upstairs for a 3-0 Robert Morris lead with just 1:22 until the second ice cut.
"It feels really good. I feel like I've worked really hard, and that the past couple years have been building up to this moment," said the Minnesota Revolution product, who scored for the first time in 32 NCAA games after not playing in 2017-18. "It felt really good to bury that."
Sadowy, apropos of Senior Day, had also broken the scoreless tie 3:20 into the period. She fought traffic in front of the Syracuse net and beat a screened Welch with a wrist shot for her career-high sixth goal of the season.
She is part of a senior class that, in a combined 686 games played, has amassed 113 goals, 345 points and 1,154 saves entering the 2019 postseason.
Bailey made 30 of those to cement her 22nd career victory in net, which puts her past
Elijah Milne-Price '18 into sole possession of fourth place on the RMU career chart. The Markham Thunder (CWHL) netminder was, in fact, among those in attendance to honor her former teammates.
On top of her fifth 30-save effort of the season and second against the Orange, which included 40:21 of shutout hockey, she made the outlet pass that led to Marino's first tally. It was Bailey's first assist since aiding
Kirsten Welsh's overtime goal versus St. Lawrence Sept. 29.
Welsh, Bailey and Sadowy, along with senior tri-captains
Maggie LaGue and
Amber Rennie and forward
Sarah Quaranta, were recognized before the game. The Class of '19 has a combined record of 77-42-21 (.625) through Saturday, including the 2017 CHA Tournament championship and concurrent NCAA Tournament berth it hopes to recapture next week.
"Outstanding leadership all the way around," said Colontino. "They're a great, special group, and we're going to miss them a ton. While we've got them, we're going to continue to enjoy their company, and I think they're going to lead."
Next up, they'll have an opportunity to lead the Colonials back to the CHA Final for the third season in a row. On Wednesday, the Orange will face Lindenwood, and Penn State will meet RIT, with Robert Morris meeting the lowest-seeded survivor of that purge the next day at 4:30 p.m. ET at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York.
Even before getting the chance to further the legacy they will leave behind, these seniors have left behind valuable lessons for their successors.
"Stay together and be supportive on and off the ice. The closer you are off the ice and on the ice, the better you're going to play as a team," Sandoval said.
"They pushed us every day. I was able to sit at practice and say, 'Wow, I want to play like these girls one day.' I was really able to look up to them, and I'm going to miss them as role models," Marino added.
Next week's playoff action can be seen live on the CHA Digital Network (subscription required) and heard live for free on 970 ESPN (online only). Fans can visit the conference website for ticketing information.
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