CRANBERRY, Pa. - Any notions that the Colgate women would see another low-scoring defensive battle were quickly dashed. Malia Schneider, Sammy Smigliani, and Danielle Serdachny chipped in multi-point performances. Smigliani tallied three assists and a goal to lead Colgate.
Looking to build on an impressive performance from Saturday night, Colgate found itself in a hole early. Uncharacteristic of one of the nation's best penalty kill units, the Raiders surrendered a power play goal in the opening minutes. Robert Morris struck again just over two minutes later. Colgate was looking at an early 2-0 deficit.
A slow start didn't phase the Raiders on Saturday night, and it wouldn't on Sunday either. Serdachny converted a power play opportunity to bring her team within one. The freshman netted her second goal of the weekend and seventh of the season.
In four-on-four action a couple minutes later, Allyson Simpson buried a slap shot to tie the game at 2-2. The freshman tallied her third goal in her past three contests.
Robert Morris tacked on a third goal in the final seconds of the opening period to send Colgate into the first break holding a 3-2 deficit. It didn't take long for the Raiders to tie it up once again.
Tanner Gates netted a slap shot, good for the second power play goal of the afternoon to erase the Colonial lead.
Midway through the period, Sammy Smigliani made good on a breakaway opportunity. Her fourth point of the game, Smigliani assisted on each of Colgate's previous three goals.
Perhaps too good to be true in a high-scoring affair, the Raiders' lead didn't last long. Robert Morris got even with six minutes remaining in the period.
After a 12 minute lapse in scoring to open the third period, Robert Morris claimed a 5-4 lead. With less than five minutes to go, Schneider gave her team the equalizer after a great opportunity in front of the net.
The tenth goal of the net looked like it may be enough to force overtime. Robert Morris had other plans. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Robert Morris' Kyleigh Hanzlik spun and pushed one past Liz Auby to sink Colgate.
Bottom Line
- Robert Morris 6, Colgate 5
Facts & Figures
- First periods have been kind to Allyson Simpson; she tallied two goals in the opening period at Princeton and netted another today.
- The score was tied at four different points: 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5.
- In an explosive second period, Colgate attempted 22 shots on goal.
- Sammy Smigliani extended her point streak to four games.
From the Source - Head Coach Greg Fargo
- "The power play was a spark for us, especially that first goal after falling behind 2-0 early on. That goal kick-started our play after the start we had today. With each passing week, our power play is gaining momentum and that's definitely the direction we want to be trending at this point in the season."
- "Today's game felt like a lot of games we've been in to this point in the season - a close, one goal game against a strong opponent. I was really looking for us to take a step today and come out ready to compete, after a solid effort yesterday but we weren't ready at puck drop and Robert Morris took control of the game. Once again, we had to fight our way back into it."
- "There were some really solid efforts tonight, and there were also too many gaps in our play. At times we lost focus or didn't compete on plays the way that's required. It takes a lot to win and in order to consistently get the outcomes we want, we need the whole group to be ready to play."
- "The Battle at the Burgh was an excellent event for us to be a part of this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting back to work with our team with nothing but ECAC Hockey games ahead on our schedule."
Up Next
Colgate travels to the state capital to take on Rensselaer on Jan. 10, followed by a Saturday matchup with Union.
