PITTSBURGH—The Colgate Women's Hockey team ran out to a big lead, then held on for a 4-3 victory over Robert Morris at Colonials Arena.
Jessie Eldridge reached a major career milestone in the first period when she got the Raiders on the board first. At the tail end of Colgate's first power play, she retrieved the puck in the neutral zone, then turned on the magic. She maneuvered through a horde of Colonial defenders and fired a wrist shot that eluded RMU goalie Lauren Bailey. The tally marked the senior's 50th career goal, which made her the 8th Raider in program history to reach the milestone.
Thanks to seven stops from
Julia Vandyk, the Raiders entered the first intermission with their 1-0 advantage intact.
The Colgate defense continued on with its strong showing in the second frame when the Raiders killed off a pair of Colonial power plays early on. Not long after their second successful penalty kill, the visitors started to run away.
On a scramble in the slot,
Nemo Neubauerova,
Shae Labbe and
Coralie Larose all had whacks at the puck, before the latter poked it home for the fifth goal of her sophomore campaign.
Just under five minutes later, the Raider surge continued and it ended in another major milestone. With the puck pinned in the offensive zone,
Tanner Gates fought hard to win a loose puck battle, then she teed up
Bailey Larson for an easy finish on the doorstep. With the tally, Larson broke through and became the 11th player in program history to tally 100 career points.
The Raider surge didn't end there, as Eldridge got back on the scoresheet late in the frame. With just over three minutes before the second intermission,
Malia Schneider deflected a puck into the offensive zone, then Larson went to work. She swooped in from the bottom of the left faceoff dot and dished to Eldridge, who had plenty of space to roof her second of the game and seventh on the season.
Colgate held the four-goal advantage heading into the third period, but the Colonials made it interesting in the final frame. The Raiders took a bevy of penalties, including a five-minute major, but they were able to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
Bottom Line
- #10/10 Colgate 4, Robert Morris 3
Facts & Figures
- Eldridge and Schneider are now both riding a five-game point streak.
- Olivia Zafuto lead the Raiders with four shot blocks.
- The Raiders are now unbeaten in their past 66 games when leading after two periods.
- Eldridge is now the program's all-time leader in game-winning goals with 14.
From the Source
Forward
Bailey Larson
- "The win was hard work," said Larson. "We knew it wouldn't be easy. We can't expect to win 4-0, but when they came back in the third, our team held strong."
On joining the 100-point club:
- "I knew I was at 99, but my linemates and I had been playing well, so I wasn't really thinking about it," said Larson. "It's really cool to a part of it, but it's definitely because of the teammates I've been playing with for the past four years."
- "We're really dialed in right now," said Larson. "We're a young team, so we need things like the Brown loss to learn. It's really positive to use those losses and use them as momentum and learn from it, then come out against Robert Morris and play a pretty solid game for 60 minutes."
Head Coach
Greg Fargo
- "It was nice start the weekend off that way," said Fargo. "I think there was a lot of good things from our team up and down the lineup."
- "It was a game that was back-and-forth and both teams had momentum at different times," said Fargo. "But, our power play showed up early and overall, I'm really pleased with how we played."
On the impact of
Bailey Larson,
Jessie Eldridge and the senior class on the program:
- "They're a really special group," said Fargo. "They've come in here and left their mark on our program as much as any other class ever has. I'm really happy for Bailey to get her 100th point, I know that's really important to her and meant a lot to her teammates. She is somebody that is an everyday kid who works every practice and every game. And for Jessie, 50 goals is quite an accomplishment. She's been a great leader and she also shows up on and off the ice every day and that's a nice feather under her cap."
Up Next
The Raiders complete their weekend in Pittsburgh Saturday when they take on Robert Morris against at Colonials Arena. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.
