Erie, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's hockey team fell in their first conference battle at Mercyhurst, 2-0. The Colonials are now 3-6-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the College Hockey America conference. Mercyhurst is 4-6-1 and now 1-0-0 in the conference.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Starting up conference play for the 2023-24 campaign, the Colonials traveled about two hours north for a series against Mercyhurst.
 
Earning the start in the first game of the series, alternate captain Emma Gorski made a difference in the opening period. She made 13 saves up until a minute left in the first period, the Lakers took the lead before the first intermission.
 
Entering the second period, the ice was tilted as Mercyhurst scored three more goals in the first six minutes.
 
A little after the halfway point of the game, senior Jersey Phillips scored an even strength against her former team, bringing the Colonials within three.
 
With three minutes left, the home side cashed in one more time, making it a 1-5 score.
 
For the third period, freshman Alaina Giampietro got RMU back on the board again, scoring off an assist by Thalia D'Elia.
 
Across the last 17 minutes of the period, Mercyhurst reeled in four more goals to win the game, 9-2.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Freshman Lindsey Smolen led the program in blocks on the night, causing traffic on two shots. Gorksi made 31 stops on the night. Captain Wasyn Rice posted a solid defensive performance, being the only player on the team with a positive +/- finishing the night as a +1.
 
COLONIAL FIRST
Freshman goaltender Liviya Rubin played her first minutes in her collegiate career at the Mercyhurst Ice Center last night. She guarded the net for the last seven minutes and 30 seconds of the third period. From Pittsburgh, Pa. and a previous member of the Penguins Elite teams, she recorded two stops in her collegiate debut.
 
GOAL STREAK
Consistently over the past three outings, freshman Alaina Giampietro produced a goal. She did so in last weekend's series when RMU hosted #7 Clarkson. Last night, Giampietro put in her fifth score of the campaign. In her first-year season, she's averaging a point-per-game (5-4—9).
 
UP NEXT
RMU wraps up the two-game series in Erie, Pa. today at 2:00 p.m. The Colonials will look for their first conference win of the season against the Lakers in the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
 
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