Women's Hockey | 9/26/2019 11:43:00 AM

PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris University women's hockey team embarks upon its 15th NCAA Division I season this weekend with a pair of non-conference battles against Union at the RMU Island Sports Center.

ROBERT MORRIS (0-0-0) vs. UNION (0-0-0)
Friday, Sept. 27 at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3:05 p.m.
STATS | VIDEO ($)

PROMOTION
Our first Skate with the Colonials postgame event of the season is Friday. Skates are $3 to rent from the RMU Island Sports Center; the experience is free otherwise! Come out and take a spin around the rink with our student-athletes.

LAST SEASON
Robert Morris continued its dominance of the College Hockey America conference, going 13-4-3 against league foes en route to its third consecutive regular-season title. Although the season ended with a loss to Syracuse in the CHA championship game, the Colonials have posted a 42-10-8 record (.767 points percentage) in league over the past three seasons, a run that includes the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament in 2017.

KNOW BOBBY MO
• The Colonials return 16 players from their latest championship outfit, headlined by senior center and captain Jaycee Gebhard. The native of Saskatechewan led the CHA with 51 points (19g, 32a) last season, setting a new RMU record in the process. She ranked first in the nation in power-play points (23) and assists (19), and was fifth in D-I with 1.42 points per game.

• In addition to All-CHA First Team representative Gebhard, the Colonials welcome back juniors Lexi Templeman and Emily Curlett, both of whom were named to the All-CHA Second Team last spring. Templeman, a forward, ranked second on the team in points (32) and assists (26), with the latter total being the third-highest in team history. Curlett, a defender, chipped in 11 goals, 10 assists and an incredible 148 blocked shots, which was the most in D-I.

• According to a preseason coaches poll, the Colonials were picked to finish second in the six-team CHA, with Mercyhurst getting the top spot. RMU, which received one first-place vote, has finished in the top half of the CHA in seven of the past eight seasons. The Colonials were also heard from in the first USCHO national poll of 2019-20, receiving one 10th-place vote for an unofficial standing of 13th in the survey.

• Once again, RMU will boast a robust non-conference schedule to go with its 20-game CHA slate. The Colonials will challenge each of the top four teams in the final USCHO poll of 2018-19, starting with national runner-up Minnesota at home Oct. 11-12. Last year's semifinalist Clarkson comes in Oct. 17-18, with Cornell set as the first road trip the following week. Finally, defending national champ Wisconsin will be the opponent Jan. 4 in Cranberry Township, Pa.

• Speaking of the holiday season, RMU is teaming up with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-of-its-kind four-team tournament to take place Jan. 4-5 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. In addition to Wisconsin, the Colonials will welcome Northeastern and Colgate to Cranberry; both teams finished in the USCHO top 10 last spring.

• Goalie is a position of interest, with freshman Raygan Kirk joining returners Arielle DeSmet and Molly Singewald in a three-player stable. DeSmet, a sophomore from Vermont, took over the starter's role late last season, posting a .920 save percentage across 10 appearances (eight starts). Kirk, a Manitoban, won MVP of the 2019 World Under-18 World Championship and was invited to Team Canada's all-ages Development Camp in August.

• RMU lost six seniors to graduation, all of whom were significant contributors. Last year's tri-captains Amber Rennie (13 goals, 26 points), Maggie LaGue (five goals, 23 points) and Kirsten Welsh (six goals, 13 points) were among the team's top seven point-producers, while Caitlyn Sadowy and Sarah Quaranta were also double-digit scorers. Finally, Lauren Bailey left as the fourth-winningest goalie in team history, with 22 victories.

• The Colonials welcome seven newcomers to the squad, five of them forwards. Redshirt sophomore transfer Michaela Boyle comes to Moon Township from Clarkson, where she helped the Golden Knights to the 2018 national championship as a freshman. Joelle Fiala (Saskatchewan), Marah Wagner (British Columbia), Maggy Burbidge (Nova Scotia) and Allyson Hebert (Ontario) all supplement the forward corps, while Anna Fairman (Michigan) adds to the blue line.

• Once again, RMU will be a showcase for locally-developed hockey talent. Junior winger Anjelica Diffendal was raised in Robinson Township and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth program in 2016-17 before joining the Colonials. She participated in all 36 games as a sophomore, scoring three goals and three assists.

• Familiar faces return behind the bench, led by ninth-year bench boss Paul Colontino. He's assisted by associate head coach Logan Bittle '08, who enters his 10th season behind the bench after four years playing for the RMU men's team. Fellow alum Jen Kindret '13 joins the staff as an assistant; the former forward played under Colontino and Bittle at the end of her tenure a Colonial.

HISTORY LESSON
The Colonials haven't met Union since October 2006, when they swept the Dutchwomen in a two-game set on Neville Island. RMU's Kristen Miles notched a hat trick and a team-high four points, while Alissa Dorman and Maria Olausson recorded three points apiece. The Colonials are 2-1-1 all-time against Union, which is based in Schenectady, New York.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Although it comes off a four-win 2018-19 season, Union loses just one player to graduation and returns three of its top four scorers from last season. Fourth-year head coach John Sciba's group will challenge five of the USCHO's preseason top 10 this season. Freshman Emily King netted the Dutchwomen's lone goal in a 1-1 exhibition tie with Canadian college Brock last weekend.

FILM STUDY
"It's about dedication, commitment, and making sure everyone's on the same page and playing hard every day."

Senior alternate captain Natalie Marcuzzi talked with Matt Gajtka about the privilege of leadership, helping new players overcome challenges, and what it takes to succeed as a student-athlete.

 

THE COLONTINO FILE
Returning for his ninth season in charge of the Colonials, Colontino boasts an overall record of 147-94-36, for a .610 points percentage. In his first year running the team, RMU claimed its first championship of any kind, the 2012 CHA tournament title, while improving by 13 victories. A two-time CHA Coach of the Year and a one-time USCHO National Coach of the Year, Colontino was also behind two 24-win seasons (2013-14, 2016-17) and the program's first NCAA tournament berth, in 2017.

Before coming to Robert Morris, Colontino had served as associate head coach at Mercyhurst since 2006. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach with the women's team at the University of North Dakota for four years. Colontino began his coaching career as an assistant with Mercyhurst in 2000. As a player at Mercyhurst, Colontino was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and an All-MAAC First Team selection.

MARCH WITH THE COLONIALS
In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.

NEXT UP
The Colonials have a week off before welcoming last year's national runner-up Minnesota to the Island Sports Center on Oct. 11-12.