MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – RMU women's hockey will travel south to Lindenwood for their final series of the regular season. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, February 16 at 4:30 PM. Opening faceoff for the series finale will be played the following day at 3:00 PM. Both games will be streamed on FloHockey.
 
RMU LATELY
RMU (12-17-1, 9-8-1 #CHA) is coming off a successful weekend, as they earned three out of four points against #14 Penn State. The first game ended in a 4-4 tie after each team didn't score in the 3on3 overtime. Down 4-2 in the third period, forward Mya Neugent sniped in two goals to lead the Colonials to OT. Defensemen Thalia D'Elia and Gillian Thompson, as well as forward Courtney Hall all dished out two assists. Janelle Evans and Morgan Giannone both contributed a goal each earlier in the game before Neugent's two tallies. Netminder Maggie Hatch recorded nine stops alone in overtime and ended the game with 41 saves. She's registered eight, 40+ save performances this season.
 
Recapping Saturday's 4-3 victory in OT, Janelle Evans roofed in RMU's tying goal in the second period and then won the game on a breakaway in overtime. On Monday, she was announced CHA Rookie of the Week for a third time. RMU was able to claw back by a two-goal deficit, three times over the weekend. In game two of the series, Madison Primeau and Alaina Giampietro each scored vital goals earlier in the night. Performing one of the best games in program history between the pipes, netminder Emma Gorski recorded a program record 66 saves on the night. She made 26 stops in the third period alone to handle PSU's resurgence. Her career day ranks fifth in the CHA record books for saves made in a single-game.
 
SPRINT TO THE FINISH
Preparing for the final regular season series of the 2023-24 campaign, the Colonials have taken the ice for 30 total games. 11 players have dressed for all 30 contests:
Forwards: Alaina Giampietro, Janelle Evans, Morgan Giannone, Mya Neugent, Catriona Crarer, Jersey Phillips, Lindsey Smolen
Defenseman: Chloé Puddifant, Thalia D'Elia, Kaitlyn Schooley, Allyson Hebert
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
In their first season back on the ice, the Colonials picked up their first win against a ranked opponent this season. Conference rival Penn State this past week was ranked #14 in the country. All-time, RMU now owns 15 wins against ranked opponents.
 
CHA LEADERBOARDS
Defensively, captains Allyson Hebert (65) and Wasyn Rice (61) sit at the top two spots, leading the CHA in blocked shots. Freshman forward Alaina Giampietro is currently tied second in goals with 16. Puddifant and Evans are each tied fifth in the conference in assists with 16 each. Giampietro (25) and Evans (24) among all rookies in the NCAA are ranked in the top 10 in points.
 
RMU LEADERS
Goals: Alaina Giampietro (16)
Assists: Janelle Evans, Chloé Puddifant (16)
Points: Alaina Giampietro (25)
PPG: Alaina Giampietro, Shailynn Snow (3)
SHG: Morgan Giannone, Jersey Phillips (1)
GWG: Alaina Giampietro (3)
Blocks: Allyson Hebert (65)
SV%: Maggie Hatch (.924)
 
ALL-TIME VS. LINDENWOOD
Across 44 total games, RMU is 35-8-1 (.807) all-time when facing the Lions. Since 2005, the Colonials have played 38 different teams. Their 35 wins and 160 goals against Lindenwood are the most against any program in history. From 2017 to this year, RMU collected 17 straight wins when facing Lindenwood. All-time, RMU is 21-4 at home and 13-4-1 on the road in St. Charles, Mo. RMU is averaging 3.64 goals-per-game in this series while collecting 11 shutouts. Back in January, RMU hosted Lindenwood, splitting the series. The Colonials won the first night, 4-2 but dropped the second game, 5-3. Seven different skaters earned multiple points in the series: Giampietro (3g), Evans (3a), Snow (1g, 1a), Primeau (2a), Schooley (2a), Puddifant (2a), Hall (2a). Posting three goals, Giampietro was tabbed CHA Rookie of the Week following her successful performance.
 
SCOUTING LINDENWOOD
Lindenwood (11-17-2, 6-10-2 #CHA) currently sits in fifth place in the CHA standings. They're tied next to RIT in conference points with 14, but the Tigers currently own the tie-breaker owning one more win. It'll be between those two programs, looking to claim the #4 seed in the CHA Playoff Tournament. Across their past two series, the Lions were swept by Mercyhurst and then earned three points against Syracuse. Junior forward Morgan Neitzke heading into her last regular season series owns a CHA leading 23 goals. She's second in the conference in points with 41.
 
LINDENWOOD LEADERS:
Goals: Morgan Neitzke (23)
Assists: Morgan Neitzke, Sarah Davies (18)
Points: Morgan Neitzke (41)
PPG: Sarah Davies (6)
SHG: Morgan Neitzke (4)
GWG: Morgan Neitzke (3)
Blocks: Morgan Neitzke (41)
SV%: Natalie Ferenc (.877)
 
UP NEXT
After the final regular season series of the 2023-24 campaign is complete, depending on results, the Colonials will either travel to Mercyhurst or Penn State. RMU has officially claimed the #3 spot in the bracket and will visit the opponent finishing second in the standings. The semifinal round of the tournament will be a three-game series scheduled for February 23-25.
 
RMU GAMEDAY APP
The RMU Athletics Gameday App is your one-stop location to access exclusive content such as audio streaming, podcasts and fan guides. It will also feature promotional offers for fans from various sponsors of RMU Athletics. Fans can download the RMU Athletics Gameday App (search "RMU Colonials") from both the App Store and Google Play, or by clicking the link below.
 
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App