PITTSBURGH, Pa- The Robert Morris University women's hockey heads out on the road this weekend for its first meeting of the season with Syracuse. 

ROBERT MORRIS (5-2-1, 5-2-1 CHA) vs. SYRACUSE (2-4-1, 2-2-1 CHA)

Friday, January 22 at 7:05 p.m. in SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Saturday, January 23 at 3:05 p.m. in SYRACUSE, N.Y.

STATS | VIDEO ($)

LAST TIME OUT

Robert Morris is coming off of an extremely hard-fought home and home series against Mercyhurst last weekend that featured back-to-back overtime contests. 

Despite blowing a 2-0 lead by giving up a game-tying goal with under four minutes left in regulation, RMU managed a five-minute major penalty kill for much of overtime Friday to told on for the draw in game one. 

Joelle Fiala played the hero in game two, getting her first of the season after she beat Jenna Silvonen in the second straight overtime game to secure the win for the Colonials in game two, 3-2. 

KNOW BOBBY MO

• Thirteen different members of the Colonials have recorded at least one point so far this season, and senior captain Lexi Templeman currently leads the team in scoring with seven points. RMU has scored 22 goals through eight games, coming off the sticks of eleven different goal scorers. 
• Robert Morris is receiving votes in the latest USCHO Coaches Poll. The Colonials earned three votes in the poll on Monday after their weekend vs. Mercyhurst. 
• The Colonials' five-girl senior class includes defensive stalwarts Emily Curlett and Emilie Harley, versatile forwards Anjelica Diffendal and Lexi Templeman s well as goaltender Molly Singewald.  Curlett and Harley have started five of eight games so far this year for RMU on the blue line.  Harley leads all defenders in scoring with six points in eight games. 
• Templeman has been near-unbeatable in the face-off dot this year. The senior pivot and former CHA Best Defensive Player nominee has won an astounding 70.5% (141-200) of draws through eight games this season. 
• Despite a lack of opportunities against Mercyhurst, the RMU power-play unit managed to convert a goal Friday against the Lakers to bring their overall mark to 7-35 (20%) on the year. Seven of RMU's 22 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, Templeman, Marah Wagner and Anjelica Diffendal are all in a four-way tie for the team lead in goalscoring through eight games with three a piece.  Three skaters are all tied for second-most with two each. 
• Raygan Kirk became the first Colonial goaltender to start back-to-back games for RMU this season last weekend against the Lakers, earning a CHA Goaltender of the Week win for her efforts stopping 65 of 69 total shots in two days. 
• 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. 
• Senior defender Emily Curlett is currently ten points away from breaking the all-time defender points record of 90 held by Maggie Lague '18. 
• 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 night will be the first meeting of the year between the Colonials and Orange in what has traditionally be a very even series through the years. 

RMU is 22-20-9 all-time against Syracuse including an extremely even 11-11-2 on the road, and last year ended the Orange's season with a 5-2 win in the CHA semi-final game. 

They split the season series a year ago with each squad winning once at home and once on the road. 

SCOUTING SYRACUSE 

After their scheduled series with Lindenwood last weekend was postponed, Syracuse has been idle since a 4-2 win over Penn State back on December 12. 

Senior forward Victoria Klimek was named CHA Player of the Month in December after a four-goal, five-point series against the Nittany Lions and leads an offense which is averaging just under three goals per-game this year. 

Keeper Allison Small has also been superb despite the 2-4-1 record, posting a 2.39 GAA and a .929 SV%. 

THE COLONTINO FILE

Returning for his tenth season in charge of the Colonials, Colontino boasts an overall record of 172-108-41, 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 return home for a pair against RIT at Clearview Arena next weekend on January 29 and 30.