HENRIETTA, N.Y. -- Trailing after one period of play less than 24 hours after dropping the series opener at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Robert Morris University women's hockey team had a decision to make.

Keep persistent or try something else.

The Colonials chose the former, and it worked out for the three-time defending regular-season College Hockey America champs. RMU (12-8-2, 6-2-0 CHA) scored four goals in the second period and added two more in the third to seal a 6-4 victory at the Gene Polisseni Center on Saturday afternoon.

"We were very positive and confident in the locker room after the first," said senior captain Jaycee Gebhard, who led the attack with three points (1g, 2a). "We knew it was a matter of time before pucks went in for us. We stuck with the process and the system and it paid off huge for us in the second."

Midseason sophomore transfer Kyleigh Hanzlik notched her first two-goal game as a collegian, while junior Anjelica Diffendal picked up a pair of primary assists. Freshman Maggy Burbidge got the offense going with a goal early in the second, and junior defender Emily Curlett tacked on her 10th power-play goal of the season to help put the game away in the opening minute of the third. 

Overall, 11 Colonials recorded at least a point, helping fend off a confident RIT team that had won five games in a row. The Tigers (9-11-2, 2-6-0 CHA) led 1-0 and 2-1, then pulled even at 3-3, but they didn't have enough to keep up with one of the nation's top offenses.

"Our leadership around the room was outstanding," RMU head coach Paul Colontino said. "Our captains and veterans really stepped up to the challenge. It was an exciting game with great goals and plays at both ends of the rink. 

"We stayed focused, played our game, created opportunities and capitalized. It was a great team win today."

With the victory, the Colonials made sure they'd have at least a share of first place when they return home next weekend to host 2019 CHA postseason champion Syracuse for a pair at the RMU Island Sports Center. After a 2-1 defeat on Friday at RIT, that was far from assured.

"We learned a few areas that we need to clean up, but more importantly we gained back some confidence with the success of the last two periods," Gebhard said. "Obviously every conference point matters so it was a must-win for us. Very proud of the team."

Gebhard will skate into next Friday's game within range of program history. Now with 176 points in her RMU career, she's just five back of Brittany Howard '18 for the most ever by a Colonial. The senior from Saskatchewan has 40 points on the season, after setting a new RMU standard with 51 as a junior. (There are still 12 regular-season games left to play.)

That was far from the Colonials' mind after one period Saturday, though. RIT's Christa Stefanopolous had scored a greasy rebound goal in the final minute of the first to put the Tigers ahead, despite RMU enjoying the better of the play through 20 minutes.

But faced with the possibility of getting swept in a CHA series for the first time this season, the Colonials packed a punch for the second period. First, sophomore Courtney Kollman followed up her dazzling goal Friday with a slick assist to Burbidge, who buried her second goal in three games at the 6:00 mark.

RIT's Rachel Goff scored on a short-handed breakaway at 8:29, only to watch the Colonials' fourth-ranked power play convert three minutes later. Gebhard's attempted backdoor pass to Lexi Templeman bounced into the Tigers' net off a skate; Gebhard was credited with her 12th goal upon review.

Then Hanzlik continued her scoring heroics, depositing a centering pass from Diffendal (13:56) and finishing a rebound of Diffendal's driving backhand (17:38), sandwiched around a deflection goal by RIT's Abby Davies. Hanzlik, who hadn't played an NCAA game in 1 1/2 years before last weekend, now has three goals in three appearances for RMU.

Gebhard set up another power-play goal 37 seconds into the third, flinging a wrister that Curlett deflected through RIT goalie Terra Lanteigne. Although the Tigers netted a goal with an extra attacker, Templeman iced the game with an empty-netter, making a winner of sophomore goalie Arielle DeSmet (18 saves).

The Colonials will now play four in a row on Neville Island, starting with a 7:05 faceoff Friday against Syracuse. RMU and Never Give Up Radio will host its second-annual Mental Health Awareness Weekend; keep it on RMUColonials and the team's social channels for more info throughout the coming week.