PITTSBURGH, Pa- The Robert Morris University women's hockey looks to get back into the win column this week when they take on defending CHA Champion Mercyhurst in a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday afternoon. 

ROBERT MORRIS (4-2-0, 4-2-0 CHA) vs. MERCYHURST (3-1-0, 3-1-0 CHA)

Friday, January 14 at 4:05 p.m. in Erie, Pa.

Saturday, January 15 at 2:05 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa.

STATS | VIDEO ($)

LAST TIME OUT

The Colonials endured their first sweep at the ends of a conference opponent in nearly five years last weekend when they dropped two in a row to the visiting Penn State Nittany Lions at Clearview Arena on Friday and Saturday evening. 

Despite an early lead in game one courtesy of Marah Wagner's second of the year, PSU scored three straight goals including two in the opening seven minutes of the third to deal RMU their first loss of the year. 

Robert Morris was on its heels a lot in game two as well, playing from behind throughout much of the day after PSU struck first just over eight minutes into the game.  A Colonials PP that was operating at a nearly 23% clip going into the weekend finished just 1-9 on the player-advantage in two games against the Nittany Lions. 

KNOW BOBBY MO

• Twelve different members of the Colonials have recorded at least one point so far this season, and four different Colonials all currently share the team scoring lead with five points each. RMU has scored 17 goals through six games, coming off the sticks of nine different goal scorers. 
• RMU's two losses to Penn State last weekend were the first time the Colonials have been swept by another CHA opponent since they dropped four straight against Mercyhurst and Syracuse in February of 2016, nearly five full years ago. 
• The Colonials' five-girl senior class includes defensive stalwarts Emily Curlett and Emilie Harley as well as versatile forwards Anjelica Diffendal and Lexi Templeman and goaltender Molly Singewald.  Curlett and Harley have started five of six games so far this year for RMU on the blue line.  Harley leads all defenders in scoring with four points in six games. 
• After a 5-22 (22.7%) run through four games to start the year, the Colonial power-play stumbled against Penn State, finishing just 1-9 (11.1%) in six periods against the Nittany Lions. Six of RMU's 17 goals this year have come with the extra attacker, with Michaela Boyle, Ellie Marcovsky, and Wasyn Rice each sharing the lead with two a piece. 
• Boyle and Pittsburgh native Diffendal are tied for the team lead in goalscoring through six games with three a piece.  Four skaters are all tied for second-most with two each. 
• Robert Morris has used a platoon of Raygan Kirk and Arielle DeSmet in goal this season, with each having started three games each. The duo has combined to give the Colonials a remarkable .943 team save-percentage and 1.66 goals-against average. 
• The Colonials welcome three newcomers to the squad this year in freshman Molly Pedone, Ellie Marcovsky and Chace Sperling.  Sperling provides a new option for RMU on the blue line, while Marcovsky and Pedone will help augment a forward corps that was one of the best in CHA a year ago.  Sperling spent last season playing for Pursuit of Excellence in the CSSHL, posting two goals and six points in ten games, while Florida native Pedone comes to Moon Township after four years at the famous Shattuck St. Mary's in Fairbault, Mn. 
• Marcovsky, meanwhile, is the latest in a long line of homegrown Western Pa. talents to continue their college hockey careers right in their own backyard.  The Mt. Lebanon native spent time with the Pens Elite program growing up, including a stint under head coach and former Colonial Cobina Delaney '13.  She joins Diffendal as one of two Pittsburgh natives on RMU in 2021. 
• With two goals and five points so far this year, Marcovsky is third overall on the team in scoring and has fired 15 shots on goal through six games. 
• A few significant milestones have already been checked off this season for the Colonials. Anjelica Diffendal skated in her 100th career game for RMU against Lindenwood last month, while captain Lexi Templeman became one of six players in program history to score 100 career points in an RMU sweater with a two-point night on December 10. 
• The Colonials will have to replace the enormous contributions of the 2020 senior class after losing Jaycee Gebhard, Natalie Marcuzzi and Sarah Lecavalier to graduation a year ago. The loss of Gerhard in particular will be significant as the pivot led the CHA in overall scoring each of her last two seasons and retired as the RMU all-time points leader with 198 in 139 games. 
• Due to restrictions placed on the season because of the ongoing COVID-19 virus, the Colonials will play a conference-heavy season made up mostly of CHA matchups.  The second to last weekend of the regular season sees RMU play host to Sacred Heart in their lone non-conference series of the campaign. 
• Familiar faces return behind the bench, led by tenth-year bench boss Paul Colontino. He's assisted by associate head coach Logan Bittle '08, who enters his 11th season behind the bench after four years playing for the RMU men's team. Fellow alum Jen Kindret '13 returns for her second year as an assistant, a former forward who played under Colontino and Bittle at the end of her tenure a Colonial. They are also joined in 2021 by volunteer Assistant Coach Ryan Gayso.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday evening will be the first meeting between the Colonials and Mercyhurst since March 7, 2020 when a Summer-Rae Dobson overtime goal gave the Lakers the 2020 CHA Championship and ended RMU's season.  

RMU is 16-49-4 all-time against Mercyhurst, who have proven to be a tough out for the Colonials over the years. 

The two met four times in the regular season a year ago with RMU emerging victorious just once, a 3-1 home win on December 7, 2019. 

SCOUTING MERCYHURST 

Head Coach Michael Sisti returned much of his championship lineup this season including a six-girl senior class, and the addition of freshman such as current leading scorer Sara Boucher has given the Lakers some new options up front. 

The Lakers received a vote in the latest USCHO National Poll released a few days ago following their 3-1 start to the year. 

Mercyhurst saw a heavy dose of RIT to start the season, playing the Tigers four times and out-scoring them 11-3 in those games with the lone loss coming on a 1-0 shutout for RIT on January 6.

THE COLONTINO FILE

Returning for his tenth season in charge of the Colonials, Colontino boasts an overall record of 171-108-40, for a .661 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 head to Upstate NY for their second weekend road trip of the season when they face Syracuse for a pair at Tennity Ice Pavilion on January 22 and 23.