NEVILLE TWP., PA — Robert Morris defeated St. Anselm 6-4 at the Island Sports Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Colonials opened up a 6-2 lead in the second period, but were met with major resistance from the Hawks in the third.
Alaina Giampietro, Courtney Hall, Madison Primeau, Morgan Giannone, Shailynn Snow and Janelle Evans all recorded multi-point games, while three additional Colonials added assists each.
The Hawks received scoring from Natalie Tulchinsky and Brooklyn Schneiderhan, who scored two goals a piece.
Robert Morris opened up sluggish in the first, surrendering a goal 1:05 into the first to Schneiderhan. Although outscoring St. Anselm 13-4 in the frame, the Hawks seemed to have the Colonials number early, beating Robert Morris to a majority of the loose pucks while the home team struggled to get on the same page. The Colonials found their game as the period progressed, and Madison Primeau found the back of the cage on the power play with 12:14 elapsed.
Robert Morris put the Hawks in a stranglehold in the second, scoring often and early as Snow scored the Colonials second power play goal of the game at 1:07, followed by an Evans breakaway backhand goal 1:06 later, Hall faking out St. Anselm net minder Annabella Lalande at 8:53. Giannone added a goal before the Hawks responded with Tulchinsky’s first at 16:42 on the power play. Giampietro’s tally at 18:41 closed out the scoring in the middle column.
St. Anselm jumped all over the Colonials in the third as Tulchinsky and Schneiderhan tallied up their second goals and the Hawks outshot the home team 13-6. Tulchinsky’s second goal was a pristine backhand shot on a shorthanded breakaway to cut the lead to two.
Emma Gorski started in net and had a solid game- considering she only faced 23 shots. The Hawks split the net with Lalande, who stopped 12-of-17, and Courtney Stagman stopped 12-of-13 in relief.
GROWING PAINS
It’s hard to call Robert Morris a young team with all of the experience on the squad, but for a team that is comprised of a number of transfers and commits, games like these are bound to happen. If you include the exhibition matchup, this was game number five.
“I think we have a lot of talent,” Logan Bittle said. “Today was another example that we had an opportunity to test ourselves. We haven’t had a lead going into the third period, or a big one at that. We’ve got to learn to put teams away. We’ve got some work to do there.
“We just preach details. We fell short of what we wanted to do in the first period today. We were there, we were just a little bit sloppy. We said ‘hey, let’s go out and play how we can play and execute our details. That second period was one of the most skilled you’ve seen in a long time at Robert Morris, all the way from top to bottom. We see it there, but we need to preach the details, execute the details.”
“Since we’re all new, we don’t have that chemistry like other teams do when they have five new players coming in,” Graduate captain Ally Hebert said. “Those details, if we can get those, will make up for the lack of team chemistry.”
FIRST YEARS PLUS
The Colonials were missing one of their top defenders in Gillian Thompson today. One thing that has been lost in coverage the first five games in a surplus of an experienced scoring push has been the play of the first years, especially on the back end. Thalia D’Elia and Kaitlyn Schooley have been more than plus players in the defensive zone, allowing for the teams leadership to focus on the game play and less on supporting their underclasswomen.
“I think it’s great,” Wasyn Rice said post game. “(Kaitlyn) Schooley and Thalia (D’Elia) have been doing amazing on the blueline – especially as freshmen. It’s been amazing that they came in so prepared to take on the role they have. I think it makes us a defensive core that much better.”
There is an additive to the equation off the ice that translates as well.
“I think that those two are extremely positive girls,” Hebert explained in addition. “Even on the bench, something goes down and Schooley is one of the first ones cheering them on. She’s taken on this role that’s more than a freshman, which is amazing to see.”
UP NEXT
Robert Morris heads to Princeton, NJ for a matchup with the Princeton Tigers this weekend, with face-off scheduled for 6:00pm on Friday and 1:00pm on Saturday.
