Photo credit: Katey Ladika
Milne-Price quiets the Lions
The RMU women’s hockey team shut out the Lions of Lindenwood 1-0 (8-16-1 overall, CHA 6-9-0). Lindenwood has the number three offense in the CHA, where RMU (16-6-4 overall, 10-2-3 CHA) has the number one offense in the CHA. Both teams attempting to prove in this game that they’re rightfully earned their spot in these standings.
The Colonials started the game with an intensity that can only be described as something out of a movie. RMU came out with a fire to fight, and a hunger to win, and that was quickly proven within the first five minutes of the game.
Brittany Howard scored the first, and the only goal of the first period. Howard has been leading her team this season, both on and off the ice. She was recently named the Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the year. She will be presented with this award on February 21. She also during this game tied the record for most career goals in program history.
“Fantastic, fantastic, I never know what award she’s going to get next, or what record she’s going to break. It’s awesome you know, she does her thing when she comes to play and a game like today, a one-goal game, that’s what it comes down to sometimes. And honestly, she’s probably more happy with the win than the record” said RMU head coach Paul Colontino.
The Lions who have been looking to move up in the rankings, but their lack of energy or and pure want tells a different story. Lindenwood lost almost every faceoff that they had during the first period, leaving the game to be dominated by Robert Morris.
The second period didn’t start out any different, leaving the Colonials to set the pace of the game. At one point the Colonials forcing the Lions to take the puck out of their own scoring chance themselves.
Lindenwood with about ten minutes left in the second period was starting to show signs of fatigue, struggling to keep the puck out of their own zone.
Robert Morris dominated all throughout the second period, but not being able to finish with the puck finding the back of the net. However, it wasn’t from lack of trying. Howard and rookie of the month, Emily Curlett both trying their shots at the net.
“There wasn’t a lot of ice out there, I felt like the ice was very clogged up pretty tight, so again we had great defense” Said Colontino.
With a little more than a minute left in the second period, (Marcuzzi), took a trip to the penalty box for the Colonials, giving the Lions a power play advantage over RMU. However, instead of Lindenwood capitalizing on the power play, Brittney Howard was able to break away, taking a hard shot, that took not only the Lindenwood goalie to stop, but two others of the Lindenwood team.
At the end of the second period, the Colonials had taken 15 more shots than the Lions and only had to block nine shots whereas the Lindenwood goalie had to fend off 20 of the Colonial’s shots. Just going to show how much the Robert Morris team dominated this game.
“I thought we made smart plays, I thought we made competent plays, I thought we had players where we needed them,” said Colontino.
In the third and final period, neither team looked to be changing the way they had playing all game, and it looked like the Colonial fans were going to be happy with a one to nothing win over the Lions.
In the final period, neither team seemed to be able to make any headway towards a goal. Just playing a game of back and forth, and neither being able to get anywhere near the net to give the game just a little bit of life in the third period.
It was only with 30 seconds left the Lions took their goalie out, leaving their net empty.
The Colonials will take on Lindenwood tomorrow at 1:05 pm at The Island, their second and final matchup for the weekend.
