PITTSBURGH -- The most important week of the regular season for the
Robert Morris women's hockey team began with a disagreement on how to most effectively peel an orange, and it ended with the 2018-19 Colonials, as one, separating its juice from the pulp.
Together, they drained the Lakers, leapfrogged the Lions, tamed the Tigers and finally, crushed the Orange (10-20-3, 10-7-2), 5-0, at the RMU Island Sports Center Friday night, echoing last year's resounding clincher in Syracuse to officially string together three consecutive College Hockey America regular-season championships.
"It's definitely one I'll cherish forever," senior tri-captain
Maggie LaGue said. "That's a lot of work, to win a regular-season championship. It's a year-long process, and it's a team effort, and the group that we have makes it possible. I'm so thankful to be a part of this group."
Robert Morris (14-13-6, 12-4-3) is now the only other CHA school besides Mercyhurst to accomplish that feat. For the Colonials, this was their first title of any kind won on home ice since upsetting their upstate rival in the 2012 CHA Tournament Final.
Their prize, aside from the brass one with which they celebrated at Colonials Arena after the final buzzer, is the top seed and first-round bye in the upcoming CHA Tournament, Mar. 6-8 at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York, where they will try to avenge last season's championship round defeat to their I-79 counterparts.
"In all honesty, we're just so happy for them. I think they've been through a lot, as a group, with different sets of adversity, from tough games, to injuries...to illnesses, and they've never had any excuses," said head coach
Paul Colontino, who has presided over all the aforementioned titles. "Going back to the second period last [Saturday], they just take whatever comes their way and find a way to be successful.
"And for the girls who have been around, to get three straight, that's a heck of an accomplishment."
One of those accomplished veterans, senior tri-captain
Amber Rennie, accounted for the game-winning goal early in an RMU power play. Sophomore forward
Lexi Templeman dug the puck out from the half-wall and centered it to the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, who poked it around a defender and backhanded it under the crossbar behind Ady Cohen for her 12th goal of the season 3:49 into the first period.
"Obviously, it's always exciting when you score, but it's a little more exciting when you score in a game like that," said Rennie, who leads CHA and is tied for second in the NCAA with her seven power play tallies. "I'm just happy I got the opportunity, and it was a really nice pass that led to that opportunity."
Rennie picked up the secondary assist on RMU's next goal, which also came off a textbook pass. Her former Notre Dame Hounds teammate, junior assistant captain
Jaycee Gebhard, set up nearby
Anjelica Diffendal from behind the Syracuse net, and the Robinson Township native easily finished with six minutes until the intermission.
On Nov. 9, Gebhard became the fifth player in Robert Morris history to amass 100 career points. Rennie, entering Senior Day, needs just two more to become the sixth to hit the century mark.
Gebhard extended her point streak to five games, giving her 24 in her last 26 overall, as shrewd line shuffling by Colontino continued to pay rich dividends.
"Everyone knew what was on the line, so I guess that made it a bit easier to get up for gameday," Rennie said. "Definitely, everyone was dialed in."
"Sometimes variety is the spice of life," Colontino said. "We obviously made some moves last Saturday, and we had players with some huge games. This week, again, we toyed with the line changes, and we got great goals tonight, so it was a huge difference-maker. We're sparking energy with different people."
The Colonials put that energy on display, along with their team chemistry, early in the second period. Gebhard, who went a staggering 13-4 on faceoffs and ranks second nationally with her 441 faceoff wins, led a Robert Morris power play that kept the Orange bottled up for the entire two minutes.
Cohen survived somehow, but so did rookie goaltender
Arielle DeSmet at the other end, as Syracuse pushed back. DeSmet matched her victorious total last Saturday with 25 saves in obtaining her first shutout as a collegian.
"It's unbelievable. For me, it hasn't really set in yet, but for the seniors, I know it's a huge deal," the former North American Hockey Academy standout said. "We were all tuned in and ready to go. We definitely just wanted to pull off the win and finish it early, so we didn't have to worry about tomorrow.
"Once we got up by a few goals, the shutout was in the back of my mind, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to let any in."
Robert Morris, fueled by its top unit, never stepped off the accelerator, finally breaking the game open after several quality chances. Gebhard dragged the puck from the right circle to the left and snapped a shot on net that was deflected in by Templeman at the side of the cage for her sixth of the year with five-and-a-half minutes until the second ice cut.
With that assist, her 31st of the season, Gebhard eclipsed the RMU single-year mark established by
Brittany Howard in 2016-17.
Less than four minutes later, rookie
Courtney Kollman was rewarded on the scoresheet for her monster efforts. Leading a three-on-one that developed after a shot block by
Kirsten Welsh, Kollman drove the right circle and centered the puck for
Natalie Marcuzzi, who beat Cohen from the slot with 1:28 to go.
"It's definitely not easy, but it shows how excellent this program is, and how each and every person that comes into it is on the same page," the junior forward said. "We're all looking to win, we're all looking to fight together, and we're all looking to fight hard. That's what makes us really successful.
"Looking back on every [regular-season champion] team, everybody's supporting each other, knowing what it takes and getting it done. I'm really proud of them."
Welsh, on the play, earned her first point since returning from a lower-body injury last Friday. Dating back to her own junior campaign, Robert Morris is unbeaten in 27 of the past 32 games in which she registers a point.
She had the honor of providing the final margin during the second successful RMU power play of the night. Taking an outlet pass from
Wasyn Rice, she maneuvered between three Syracuse penalty killers and fired a puck, from the right side, through the five-hole of backup goaltender Maddi Welch that barely trickled over the line as one of those defenders fumbled with it with 5:03 left in regulation.
The 5'11" Blackstock, Ontario native will be one of six seniors, along with Rennie, LaGue, forwards
Caitlyn Sadowy and
Sarah Quaranta, and goaltender
Lauren Bailey, recognized before Saturday's regular-season finale at the Island Sports Center.
Thanks to the Class of '19, the venue will have a different look next season, with another banner to hang, and hopefully more.
"We know, coming in, that it's such a hard-working program, and everybody buys in, day in and day out," LaGue said. "Off-season, pre-season, anytime, everyone just puts everything in, no matter what. We stick together when things aren't going right, we don't give up, and I think that's what makes this program so successful.
"Along with having a great coaching staff, and a great group that works hard, no matter what--that's what makes it possible."
"Obviously, being here for four years and finishing first in three of them is huge, but as a senior, that makes it even more fun, because it's your last kick at the can," Rennie said. "It's really nice to come out on top, but we're not done yet."
Senior Day proceedings begin at 3:00 p.m. ET, with the opening faceoff set for just after 3:05 between the Colonials and the Orange.
Once again, the game can be seen live on the CHA Digital Network (subscription required), and fans can visit the ISC lobby for tickets.
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