Women's Hockey | 9/21/2019 6:28:00 PM

PITTSBURGH -- Facing a stiff test in its lone preseason game, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team pushed back with gusto late, ultimately falling 5-4 to Canadian university Concordia on Saturday afternoon at the Island Sports Center.

Defending College Hockey America scoring champ Jaycee Gebhard notched a goal and an assist, and last year's All-CHA Second Team selection Lexi Templeman scored, too, but tallies from newcomers Michaela Boyle and Marah Wagner were just as encouraging for the Colonials, who open their 15th season Friday.

"I thought they did a nice job adjusting," head coach Paul Colontino said of the seven fresh faces in his lineup. "They've been excited to get the jersey on and play, but there are a lot of nerves that go with that. They had an impact on plays and shifts, and did some really good things."

Boyle, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Clarkson, was particularly noticeable in her unofficial RMU debut. In her first game action in 18 months, the Massachusetts native plunged into high-traffic areas throughout the afternoon, winning puck battles, drawing a penalty and ending up alongside the senior Gebhard and the junior Templeman for the latter half of the game.

"She brings a big presence," Gebhard said of Boyle. "It's tough to push her around in front of the net. Me and 'Temps' are smaller, so it's nice to have someone stronger on our line. We clicked well at the end."

"The girls were really supportive," Boyle said. "Both lines I played on today meshed really well. Playing with (senior) Natalie Marcuzzi and (freshman) Maggy Burbidge, we really grinded it out. Playing alongside Jaycee and Lexi, it's a really high pace out there. There are expectations to be great and I think it helped elevate my game."

When Boyle steered in a deft Gebhard pass to cap a short-handed rush with 2:42 left in the second period, the Colonials still trailed 4-2, but they had a chance to rally against Concordia, which has now won its first four games of the season.

An early goal against in the third appeared to extinguish RMU's opportunity, but freshman Wagner's wraparound goal at 8:08 reignited the home bench. Six minutes later, Templeman rifled in a power-play goal from the slot to lift spirits further.

But despite outshooting Concordia 26-6 in the third -- the margin was 52-24 for the game -- and getting a late 5-on-3 advantage, RMU couldn't pull even in its most competitive exhibition tuneup in recent memory. The Colonials had won their past five preseason games by a combined score of 28-6, facing a mix of college and junior foes from north of the border.

"We want to play the best competition we can play," Colontino said. "They're a fantastic team and they exposed us in some areas, but that's what we want. We'll work to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Despite the missed chance late, RMU still scored a pair of power-play goals on five opportunities, with Gebhard nailing the first one with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first. Junior goalie Molly Singewald stopped nine shots in the opening period, making her the busiest of three RMU netminders to see the ice.

Coached by four-time United States Olympian Julie Chu, Montreal-based Concordia outscored the Colonials 5-1 during even-strength play, taking advantage of a few RMU miscues in the neutral zone.

"The biggest thing was our breakouts," Gebhard said. "They were in lanes on intercepting passes. Once we got in the O-zone, we had more success. It was just getting there. That's what today was for: Finding areas to work on."

With some game action on tape, the Colonials will go about the business of preparing for the opening series against Union at the Island Sports Center. Next weekend's faceoffs against the ECAC's Dutch will be 7:05 p.m. Friday and 3:05 p.m. Saturday. Visit RMUColonials.com to view the full schedule, which includes eight of 10 on home ice to start.