PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's hockey team completed a home sweep over RIT Saturday at Clearview Arena with a 7-0 win against the Tigers.
Senior captain Lexi Templeman recorded a natural hat trick in the first period and Arielle DeSmet posted her second career shutout in goal.
After a dominant first period possession-wise that netted only one goal on Friday, the Colonials exhibited some clinical finishing Saturday afternoon spurred on by their captain.
Templeman opened the scoring less than five minutes in when an Allyson Hebert point shot deflected off of an RIT defender's and stick and right to the Staffa, Ontario native, who slammed it into a wide-open net for the early lead.
She struck again less than three minutes later, cleaning up a rebound near the left post after Michaela Boyle's shot hit the crossbar and fell right at her feet.
The senior pivot finished off the natural hat trick it style, picking up a puck at the top of the crease and slamming it home after waiting out an outstretched Emma Stephen.
Marah Wagner kept the momentum rolling as the middle frame opened up, collecting a Maggy Burbidge feed from behind the net and roofing a backhander in the crease high blocker side to give the Colonials a commanding 4-0 stranglehold on the game.
The onslaught kept coming for RMU, who tacked on three more goals before the second was out to make it a 7-0 lead.
Leah Marino re-directed a point shot to push things to 5-0 before Kyleigh Hanzlik finished off a wraparound minutes later for her third of the season.
Marino scored again after taking a beautiful feed from Ellie Marcovsky for her second and the seventh of the game for RMU.
The Colonials controlled the final frame through puck possession and skated off with a 7-0 win, allowing RIT just 14 shots on goal.
SCORING PLAYS
Templeman, 4:49, 1st - Assists: Hebert, Boyle
Templeman, 7:28, 1st - Assists: Boyle, Marino
Templeman, 13:52, 1st - Assists: Boyle, Diffendal
Wagner, 00:40, 2nd - Assists: Burbidge, Rice
Marino, 9:56, 2nd - Assists: Thompson, Templeman
Hanzlik, 10:13, 2nd - Assists: Curlett, Fairman
Wagner, 11:09, 2nd - Assists: Marcovsky, Burbidge
QUICK HITS
Fifth straight win for the Colonials…First career hat trick for Templeman…second shutout of the year for DeSmet…Back-to-back shutouts for RMU for the second time this year…Most goals scored by RMU since 11-0 win against Brown on 10/20/17…Emily Curlett is now seven points off the all-time RMU defensive scoring record
QUOTABLES
"You come off a win when you feel like you played a solid 60 minutes, and you come back the next day and no one is over-confident, everybody is grounded. We had a great start and obviously when you get three goals from your captain that literally sets the stage and everyone else hopped on the bus with it." - Head Coach Paul Colontino
NEXT UP
RMU gets ready for a three-game set next week when they head up to Erie for a Tuesday evening clash against Mercyhurst before continuing east to State College for two against Penn State on Friday and Saturday.
