What had been a sparkling start to the season took a left turn for the Robert Morris women on Saturday in Orono, Maine.
After winning the the first three games of the season, the Colonials fell into a big early hole that they couldn’t quite climb out of in a 5-2 loss to the Maine Black Bears.
At the end of the first two periods, the Colonials had outshot the Black Bears, 28-14, but were losing, 3-0, thanks to a power play goal by Tereza Vanisova and a pair of five-on-five tallies that escaped the reach of RMU goaltender Lauren Bailey.
“It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but that’s just the way things go sometimes,” junior defender Kirsten Welsh said about the difference between the shots and the score.
But the Colonials were determined to get back on the right side of things in the third, and they did mount a comeback, with Jessica Gazzola and Brittany Howard scoring to bring the game to 3-2.
“After the second, we were really trying to push and come back,” Welsh said. “I thought we did push through.”
But three and a half minutes after Howard scored, both goal scorers found a seat in the penalty box, with Gazzola off for hitting after the whistle and Howard for checking. In the ensuing 4-on-3, Maine’s Stacey Brooke restored a two-goal lead and took the wind out of the Colonials’ sails.
Both teams ended up getting six power-play opportunities, but Maine scored two power play goals while Robert Morris didn’t get any, providing a major difference in the game.
“The more penalties you take, you’re obviously playing with a little bit of fire,” assistant coach Logan Bittle said.
The Colonials earned the split in Maine, but are 3-1-0 in the young season and are still feeling good about where they stand as the enter the third weekend of the their 10-game, season-opening road trip.
“It was the first loss of the season,” Welsh said. “I’m just glad it was early on in the year.”
ROAD AHEAD
The Colonials have one more weekend of non-conference games before things begin to count for the College Hockey America standings. Next week, they’ll visit Brown for two games.
