NEVILLE TWP, Pa. — No. 8 Robert Morris closed out its 2016-17 home schedule on a high note Sunday afternoon, securing a 2-0 victory over the Penn State.
They did so by performing two feats they hadn’t completed all season: scoring a shorthanded goal and recording shutout.
Int he second period, Brittany Howard was in the box for hooking when Amanda Pantaleo streaked down the left wing and used fellow winger Maeve Garvey as a decoy before firing a wrist shot over the glove of Penn State goaltender Hannah Ehresmann.
It was the junior’s 11th goal of the season and the first short-handed marker by the squad on the season. Aneta Ledlova would add to the lead thirteen minutes later on a Howard pass from behind the net when the first-year Czech forward one-timed a shot over Ehresman’s blocker.
Senior Jessica Dodds stopped all 22 shots she faced to secure her 12th career shutout in her final game at the 84 Lumber Arena. It was the Colonials’ first shutout of the season.
QUOTABLE
“It’s definitely good to get that shorthanded goal. They’re huge momentum swings. The timing couldn’t have been better. We talked after the game and sometimes you have to work extra hard to get your chances and we felt we did that. In this situation, it came on the PK, and our players were smart enough to cash in on it.” — head coach Paul Colontino on Amanda Pantaleo’s shorthanded goal.
“We’ve always been known to have a passive penalty kill, obviously this has been working for us. We’ve never really generated a lot of offense off of our PK, it showed that we can actually score and generate that offense”. — Pantaleo on her shorthanded goal.
“I couldn’t think of a better day to have a game like that on. I was really fortunate that my team came to play, and defensively we were really sound. It’s something that words really can’t describe. With it being senior day, there’s a lot going on and through your head. I owe it all back to my teammates. Without them I wouldn’t be here today.” — Dodds on her shutout.
COLONIALS NOTES
Howard sits six points behind Rebecca Vint on the team’s all time career points list. … The team is two points ahead of Syracuse after the Orange swept RIT. The Colonials can clinch a share of the CHA title and the first seed in the tournament with any combination of two points next weekend. … The first-place Colonials improved their record to 13-3-2 in CHA play and 20-4-6 overall.
The Colonials will close out the regular season at Lindenwood next weekend. They have already secured a first-round bye in the CHA Tournament and can finish no lower than second place.
