MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The RMU women's hockey team is set for a non-conference series at RPI in Troy, N.Y., this weekend. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday, October 9, followed by the series finale Saturday, October 10. Both games are set for 3:00 PM starts and will stream live on ESPN+.
 
RMU LATELY
RMU (1-3, 0-2 #AHA) is coming off its first conference series of the season, battling No. 4 Penn State in a pair of games last weekend. The Colonials came up short in both contests but nearly completed a comeback in the series opener.
 
In University Park, Pa., RMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Nittany Lions rallied for a 5-3 victory. Captain Alaina Giampietro scored a power-play goal late in the contest to bring the Colonials within one, but RMU was unable to complete the comeback. Penn State then opened the series finale with a 3-0 lead before earning a 4-1 victory to sweep the series.
 
Through four games, junior forwards Greta Brezenski and Giampietro lead the Colonials with four goals apiece. Both have also added three assists for seven points on the season. Junior forward Jessica MacKinnon and defenseman Thalia D'Elia have each recorded three assists. Brezenski leads the roster with a +6 rating, while Giampietro owns a team-high two power-play goals and one game-winning tally.
 
Defensively, Mya Kearns, Carolina Aufiero and Shayne Desjardins have each blocked six shots. In net, senior goaltender Maggie Hatch has started all four games and owns a .879 save percentage.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Cleveland Heights, Ohio native Maggie Hatch enters the weekend with 2,485 career saves, putting her just 15 stops away from reaching the 2,500-save milestone.
 
One of the top netminders in program history, Hatch tied the RMU single-season record with six shutouts last season. She has been named the AHA Goaltender of the Week five times and the conference's Goaltender of the Month twice. In each of her three seasons, Hatch has also been named to the Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year Watch List.
 
Newmarket, Ontario native Shayne Desjardins enters the weekend with 190 career blocked shots. Over each of the last two seasons, the junior defenseman has ranked second in the #AHA in blocked shots, recording 91 in 2024-25 and 93 last season. In her career, Desjardins has registered three goals, 13 assists and 16 points.
 
ALL-TIME VS. RPI
RMU is 12-11-3 all-time against the Engineers, dating back to the 2005-06 season. The Colonials have posted a 7-3-1 record over the last 11 meetings.
 
RPI visited Moon Township for a two-game series last season and came away with a pair of one-goal victories, winning 1-0 and 3-2. In the series finale, Giampietro and Taylor Storey each scored for RMU, while MacKinnon, D'Elia and Rowyn Ringor each recorded an assist.
 
SCOUTING THE ENGINEERS
RPI (1-4, 0-0 #ECAC) opened the season with four consecutive losses before earning one of the biggest wins in program history, defeating No. 5 Northeastern, 2-1, in overtime. Kaylynn Fisher scored a power-play goal in the third period to tie the contest before Barbora Cerna-Proskova netted the overtime winner. Gracyn Mackay recorded two assists, while goaltender Sadie Bellissimo made 41 saves in the victory.
 
Through five games, sophomore forward Mia Montanari leads the Engineers with five assists and five points. Freshman forward Linn Mattson and sophomore defenseman Ella Newman-Mixon each own a +1 rating. Fisher leads RPI with nine blocked shots. Senior goaltender Reese Keating has started three games and owns a .922 save percentage, while Bellissimo has earned one win and sports a .926 save percentage in two starts.
 
Last season, RPI finished with a 7-28 overall record and a 4-18 mark in ECAC play.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
RPI has already faced Mercyhurst and Minnesota State this season and will also take on Syracuse in November.
 
RMU will face Mercyhurst and Syracuse four times each during conference play and will meet Minnesota State on Friday, October 23, in Boston, Mass., at the Ice Breaker Tournament.
 
UP NEXT
RMU returns to conference action next weekend when the Colonials host Syracuse for a two-game series at Clearview Arena. Game one is set for Friday, October 16 at 7:00 PM, followed by the series finale Saturday, October 17 at 3:00 PM. Both games will stream live on FloHockey.
 
Friday night's contest will also serve as Skate with the Colonials Night, giving fans the opportunity to skate with members of the team for 30 minutes following the conclusion of the game.
 
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