MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Fueled by a relentless offensive effort and another flawless performance from junior goaltender Maggie Hatch, the RMU women's hockey team closed the calendar year in emphatic fashion with a 9-0 victory over LIU in the series finale. The win sends the Colonials into the winter break with a 10-12-2 overall record.
 
FIRST PERIOD
RMU wasted little time setting the tone, striking first on a beautifully executed stretch play. Linnea Misner threaded a long pass through the neutral zone to spring Rowyn Ringor on a breakaway, and the winger made no mistake, opening the scoring to give the Colonials a 1-0 advantage. Mya Kearns picked up the secondary assist.
 
Moments later, the lead doubled as Morgan Giannone buried her first goal of the afternoon, roofing a shot off feeds from Jessica MacKinnon and Kaitlyn Schooley.
 
The Colonials capped the opening frame with another strong shift from the Ringor line, as Taylor Storey finished a rebound opportunity for her second goal of the series. Ringor and freshman Mary Snyder earned assists, pushing RMU ahead 3-0 after 20 minutes.
 
SECOND PERIOD
RMU continued to apply pressure in the middle frame, with MacKinnon creating a scoring chance early that resulted in Giannone pouncing on a rebound to extend the lead to 4-0. Captain Alaina Giampietro recorded the secondary assist on the play.
 
At the midway point of the period, Misner showcased her scoring touch, wiring a wrist shot from distance past the LIU netminder. Ringor and Snyder again factored into the scoring, each collecting an assist.
 
Despite LIU outshooting RMU 11-5 in the period, Hatch remained sharp, turning aside every chance she faced to preserve the 5-0 advantage heading into the second intermission.
 
THIRD PERIOD
Giannone completed her hat trick early in the final period, once again finishing off a rebound to make it 6-0 and secure the first three-goal performance of her collegiate career.
 
Midway through the period, Ringor added her second goal of the game in highlight-reel fashion, intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and racing in alone before beating the goaltender on an unassisted effort.
 
The scoring surge continued as MacKinnon notched her first goal of the contest. Thalia D'Elia initiated the play, finding Emma Goding for a shot attempt that missed wide, but MacKinnon stayed with the play, collecting the puck off the boards and wrapping it around the net.
 
RMU closed out the scoring late on the power play, with MacKinnon blasting home her second goal of the game off passes from Kearns and Misner to seal the 9-0 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• RMU narrowly outshot LIU, 31-30, with Storey leading all Colonials for the second straight game by recording six shots on goal.
• Storey, Giannone, Ringor, MacKinnon, Snyder and Goding each finished with a team-best plus/minus rating of +4.
• At the faceoff dot, RMU won 32 of 62 draws (51.6 percent), paced by MacKinnon's team-high 10 wins and a strong showing from Catriona Crarer, who went 9-for-13 (69.2 percent).
• Defensively, the Colonials blocked eight shots, with Kearns leading the way with two blocks.
• Special teams were perfect for RMU, as the Colonials went 1-for-1 on the power play and successfully killed off all five LIU penalty chances.

 
GOAL DIFFERENTIAL
The nine-goal margin of victory tied the fourth-largest goal differential in program history.
 
13 – October 27, 2006, vs. Chatham (13-0)
12 – February 7, 2009, vs. Sacred Heart (12-0)
11 – January 19, 2018, at RIT (12-1)
11 – October 20, 2017, at Brown (11-0)
9 – December 13, 2025, vs. LIU (9-0)
9 – January 23, 2010, vs. Sacred Heart (13-4)
 
FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK
Senior forward Morgan Giannone, long known as one of RMU's top point producers, recorded the first hat trick of her collegiate career, scoring one goal in each period. It marked the Colonials' first hat trick since 2021, when Michaela Boyle accomplished the feat against Sacred Heart. Giannone now has nine goals, 11 assists and 20 points this season, along with 28 goals, 31 assists and 59 points for her career.
 
CAREER-HIGH DAY
Jessica MacKinnon enjoyed a career afternoon, posting a single-game high of two goals, three assists and five points. She became the first Colonial to record five points in a game since Lexi Templeman did so against Sacred Heart in 2021, and the first to dish out three assists in a game since Mya Neugent last season versus Saint Anselm.
 
At the midway point of the season, MacKinnon has compiled 13 goals, 15 assists and 28 points, ranking first in Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) in both goals and points. The performance marked her seventh career multipoint game.
 
Winnipeg, Manitoba native Rowyn Ringor also recorded a career-high outing, finishing with two goals, two assists and four points. It was her first multipoint game with the Colonials and the 11th of her collegiate career. Ringor now owns 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 career points.
 
MULTIPOINT EFFORTS
Misner tied her single-game best with a three-point performance, finishing with one goal and two assists for her fourth multipoint game of the season. The freshman now has four goals, 12 assists and 16 points.
 
D'Elia added two assists for her sixth career multipoint effort and now has two goals and 10 assists in her junior campaign.
 
Kearns recorded the first multipoint game of her career with two assists, giving her one goal and 10 helpers for 11 career points.
 
Freshman Mary Snyder also posted her first career multipoint performance, dishing out two helpers and bringing her season total to four assists.
 
HATCH IN HISTORY
Hatch continued her excellent season by posting back-to-back shutouts for the first time in her career. Her five shutouts this season are tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, a mark previously reached by Jessica Dodds during the 2013-14 and 2015-16 campaigns. The record was set by Elijah Milne-Price with six in the 2017-18 campaign. Hatch now owns eight career shutouts, tied for the second-most in RMU history alongside Brianne McLaughlin, with Dodds holding the program record at 14.
 
SHUTOUT STREAK
For the second time this season, RMU recorded consecutive shutouts, extending its current scoreless streak to 143 minutes and 19 seconds. The mark ranks as the seventh-longest shutout streak in program history.
 
181:08 – 2018
174:47 – 2020
173:06 – 2019
167:49 – 2006
153:01 – 2015
144:25 – 2013
143:19 – 2025
120:05 – 2025
 
UP NEXT
Following the winter break, the Colonials will return to action with a two-game home series against Syracuse. Game one is scheduled for Friday, January 9 at 7:00 PM, followed by the series finale on Saturday, January 10 at 3:00 PM. Both games will stream live on FloHockey and SportsNetPittsburgh+.
 
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