2005-2006 News
Lady Lions win ACHA title as RMC must settle for second!
Savannah Varner (pictured above in face-off with Lindenwood's Katie Kells), Lisa Gens, Crystal Zace, Ashley Boye selected for All-Tournament team!
Wentzville, MO - The defending national champion Robert Morris Women's Ice Hockey team was forced to settle for second place when Kristin Dlugos of Lindenwood University (MO) scored 1:40 into sudden death overtime in the championship game of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Women's Division National Tournament on Sunday, March 12, at the Century-Tel Ice Arena in Wentzville, MO.
It was fifth meeting of the season between the two teams; the Eagles won the middle three, but came out on the wrong side of the score in the one that mattered most.
A scoreless first period, with the shots-on-goal even at six, showed what kind of a hockey game the capacity crowd was in for. RMC's Crystal Zace (Junior, LaGrange Park, IL, pictured right) continued her outstanding national tournament play in goal; her saves in the first period included two nifty stick saves and a nice glove save. Lindenwood goalie Michelle Borsa also had some excellent stops, but her cause was helped when Savannah Varner (Sophomore, Forward, Centerville, PA), the tournament's leading scorer, hit the post three different times on laser-beam slap shots.
Varner found the mark in the second period. Ashley Boye (Sophomore, Forward, Cape Coral, FL) caught Lindenwood napping behind their own net, intercepting a clearing pass. She then found Varner swooping toward the goal from the right. Varner took the pass and flipped a backhand shot into the net for the game's first score at 4:56.
The Eagles made that tally stand up for the remainder of the period, despite having to kill two penalities, behind excellent play in the neutral zone and more fine goal play from Crystal Zace.
The final regular period was a different story. Lindenwood tied the game at 5;15 on a score by Amy Dlugos. The Eagles regained the lead a little more than three minutes later when Allison Toft (Freshman, Forward, Alexandria, MN, pictured left) slapped in a rebound from the LU goalie's right for a goal. Ashley Hangsleban and Jessica Zalesky each earned assists on the score.
With the lead in hand and the national championship in sight, RMC played some tough defense. The game turned on one fateful play: Lindenwood managed to get the puck past the Eagles' defenders in the neutral zone, finding Leah Osbourne near the blue line. As the Lion attacker moved into the right slot, RMC's Mindy Shelton (Junior, Forward, Kentwood, MI) caught her from behind. She reached around Osbourne and dove, poking away the puck and stopping the scoring opportunity. However, Shelton's stick caught the Lindenwood player's skate and Osbourne tumbled to the ice. Shelton was whistled for tripping and sent off with a two-minute minor penalty.
Lindenwood wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity, tying the game on a goal Katherine Hannah six seconds into the power play at 13:40.
RMC had a power play opportunity of their own with less than two minutes remaining when LU's Marie Blanc was called for a tripping penalty of her own. The Eagles called a time-out to set their power play strategy (pictured right). The Lions fell into protect-mode as the defending champs attacked, hoping to win the game in regulation. At least three shots were on the net with a fourth hitting the post, but LU goalie Michelle Borsa turned them all away. when the buzzer sounded, the teams were still tied and a sudden death period would be needed to decide the national championship.
That extra period lasted 1:40 as Kristin Dlugos scored the game winner for Lindenwood. After an icing call, the teams set up for a face-off to RMC goalie Crystal Zace's right. Dlugos took the draw and swatted a shot to Zace's left. She stopped the puck initially, but as she slipped to the ice, it tumbled out of her reach and slid across the goal line, giving the Lions the national championship.
It was only the second time this season that the Eagles had lost to an ACHA team--both to Lindenwood, in the first and last games of the season. RMC held the nation's #1 ranking the entire season. The loss ended nearly two full years in that position for Coach John Burke's team.
It also ended an outstanding season for the Lady Eagles Icers who lost only eight games the entire season, two to Lindenwood, two to NCAA Division I foes and four to NCAA Division III teams.
CLICK ON THIS LINK--WEBCAST REPLAY--TO HEAR TOM WUESTENFELD'S CALL OF THE ACHA WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PLAYED ON SUNDAY, MARCH 12!
#1 Lady Eagle Icers earn comeback win over Rhode Island 3-2, advance to ACHA National Finals!
RMC will defend national title against #2 Lindenwood!
Savannah Varner (right) scores two goals, adds assist to total 16 points for tournament thus far!
Wentzville, MO - The #1-ranked Robert Morris Women's Ice Hockey team recovered from a rocky start to earn a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Lady Rams of Rhode Island University in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship Tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 11, at the Century-Tel Ice Arena in Wentzville, MO.
The defending national champion Eagles will face the host school, Lindenwood University (MO). The #2-seeded Lions defeated #3 Michigan State 4-1 in the other semifinal. Lindenwood and RMC met four times in the regular season, with the Eagles winning the final three of those match-ups. The puck drops for the championship game at 1:30 PM on Sunday, March 12. The game will be webcast through this site, with all the action called from rink-side by Tom Wuestenfeld. Click on the link above at game time to listen live.
In their semifinal match-up, the Eagles fell behind the Rams when Chelsea Skorupski beat the RMC defense for a score 4:38 into the game. When the Eagles were whistled for a slashing penalty, RIU's Emily Touhey scored the Ram's second--and last--goal of the game on the power play at 12:43. The Eagles had dominated play in the first period--outshooting the Rams by a 4-1 margin--but trailed 2-0.
After the first break, RMC began the second period with greater intensity. It paid off as Savannah Varner (Sophomore, Forward, Centerville, PA) continued her national tournament scoring barrage with a power play goal at 7:09. Lisa Gens (Junior, Defense, Baudette, MN) assisted on Varner's goal.
At 13:28, Jennifer Norris (Senior, Defense, Roselle, IL) and Varner moved the puck from the right side of the rink to Ashley Boye (Sophomore, Forward, Cape Coral, FL) in the left slot. Boye (pictured right) gathered in the pass and slapped a laser beam over the RIU goalie's right shoulder to tie the game.
The Eagles closed out the period with solid defense and pressure on the offensive end, but were unable to take the lead.
Savannah Varner didn't allow that state of affairs to last long in the third, scoring on a nifty solo breakaway 1:15 into the period. With the lead in hand, RMC settled in on defense and supported Goalie Crystal Zace (Junior, LaGrange Park, IL) in putting the Ram offense on lockdown.
Zace (pictured left) has surrendered only three goals in nine periods of national tournament play; during the regular season only thirteen goal were scored on her and she compiled a 93.8 saves percentage. Despite furious effort and physical play that resulted in several Eagles' power plays in the third period, RIU was unable to put the puck in the RMC net and the Ealges held on for a narrow 3-2 win.
"Sometimes a lop-sided win can lull you into some bad habits on defense," said RMC Head Coach John Burke. "We put up some big numbers in pool play and that took us out of the team pattern you have to play on defense. We woke up after the first period, stayed home, and got the job done."
Savannah Varner now has scored 16 points in the four tournament games. The nation's fifth-leading scorer, Varner averaged almost three points per game. Right behind her in the national scoring stats at #6, Ashley Boye scores nearly 2.5 per game. Those two teammed up to give the Eagles all the scoring they needed to advance to the national championship game for the second consecutive year.
Lady Eagle Icers Knock Out UCONN, Advance to Semifinals!
Eagles outperform the Huskies 6-3, retain #1 seed for the Semifinal Round!
Wentzville, MO - The Robert Morris Women's Ice Hockey team won its quarterfinal match-up with the Huskies of the University of Connecticut 6-3 to move into the semifinal round of the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship Tournament on Friday evening, March 10, at the Century-Tel Ice Arena in Wentzville, MO. The defending national champion Lady Eagle Icers will face #4 Rhode Island on Saturday.
The Eagles had their first taste of trailing another team in this tournament when they faced off against the University of Connecticut Huskies. The opening period was scoreless until UCONN's Nicole Lefave snuck one past RMC's Lori Barton (Junior, Goalie, Temple, TX) at the 9:53 mark. That was the only score of the first period, leaving the Eagles down 1–0.
RMC wasted no time in getting on the board in the second, however. Ashley Ackerman (Junior, Forward, Minot, ND) knocked the puck just 38 seconds into the period. Savannah Varner (Sophomore, Forward, Centerville, PA) and Jennifer Norris (Senior, Defense, Roselle, IL) assisted on Ackerman's goal. The teams played a more aggressive game in the second period, a style that led to several penalties, but no power play tallies. Goalie Crystal Zace (Junior, Goalie, LaGrange Park, IL) stepped into the net and surrendered only a single goal to UCONN at 6:05 in the period. Savannah Varner scored her eighth goal of the tournament on an assist by Klara Kludt (Freshman, Forward, Moorehead, MN) 43 seconds later to knot the score at 2-2.
Aggressive play continued in the third. A breakaway goal by Ashley Ackerman only 29 seconds into the period put the Eagles in the lead for the first time. Savannah Varner assisted on that goal, Ackerman's second of the game and the second she had scored in the first minute of play in a period. That assist was Varner's thirteenth point in the first three games of the tournament.
This was the momentum RMC was looking for, as less than four minutes later, Allison Toft (Freshman, Forward, Alexandria, MN) made it 4-2 on an assist from Jennifer Norris. Playing in a five-on-three situation after a pair of penalties, the Eagles gave up their third and final goal of the game, UCONN's Nicole LaFave's second of the match.
Katie Kosibucki (Junior, Forward, Warroad, MN, pictured left) scored at 11:31 on an assist by Mindy Shelton (Junior, Forward, Kentwood, MI). Ashley Boye (Sophomore, Forward, Cape Coral, FL) then maneuvered her way through the UCONN defense to power the puck into the net for a comfortable 6–3 Eagles’ lead.
With this win, the Eagles move on to the Semifinals round. The final four teams have been reseeded based on their performance this week with Robert Morris maintaining their #1 rank, along with #2-seeded Lindenwood, #3-seeded Michigan State, and #4-seeded Rhode Island. Game time tonight is at 5:00 PM when the Eagles will play #4 Rhode Island. Last year, RMC faced Rhode Island in the very same semifinal game when they prevailed in a 4-0 shutout. A win tonight will send RMC into the Championship game Sunday at 1:30 PM, as Coach John Burke (pictured right) will try for the Eagles' second consecutive national championship. A loss will result in a third place consolation game Sunday morning at 11:00 AM. Either game will be broadcast live via the web. A link will be updated here.
Click on this link at game time: LISTEN LIVE to hear all the action as called from rink-side by Tom Wuestenfeld.
#1 RMC Lady Icers win pair in ACHA National Tournament Pool Play!
RMC smashes Michigan 8-1, Maryland 13-0, as Savannah Varner (right) scores seven goals in the two games!
Defending National Champs clinch 1st in Pool, will play in Quarterfinals on Friday!
Wentzville, MO - With the 2005 National Champion title in hand, the #1 Seed in the tournament, and a #1 National Ranking throughout the entire regular season, there is no question that the Robert Morris Women's Hockey team has a target on their back in the 2006 ACHA National Championship Tournament.
The tournament, hosted by #2-ranked Lindenwood University, kicked off on Thursday, March 9, with play in four pools. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarterfinals on Friday evening. The Semi-finals will be contested on Saturday evening, with the national championship decided Sunday afternoon.
RMC faced off in the first game of the tournament against the University of Michigan at 9:00 AM. The Lady Eagles showed the tournament field they mean to repeat when Jennifer Norris (Senior, Defense, Roselle, IL) scored, assisted by Nicole Flanagan (Junior, Forward, Kentwood, MI) at 13:31. That power play goal was quickly followed by another tally from Pam Roeder (Freshman, Forward, St. Cloud, MN), assisted by Ashley Wehnes (Sophomore, Forward, Middleville, OH) and Jessica Zalesky (Sophomore, Forward, Farmington, MN). Savannah Varner (Sophomore, Forward, Centerville, PA) started a barrage that would earn her seven goals on the day with a solo scored short-handed at 8:31.
The second period went much the same as the first. Nicole Flanagan (ictured left)was quick to put one in the net on an assist by Mindy Shelton (Junior, Forward, Kentwood, MI) at 16:15. The Eagles dominated the Wolverines, but could only put one more goal on the board in the second at 8:03, scored by Ashley Ackerman (Junior, Forward, Minot, ND), assisted by Flanagan and Varner.
Action in the third period was rapid with the Eagles getting off two quick goals starting with Varner’s second of the day at 16:39. At 16:20 Ashley Boye (Sophomore, Forward, Cape Coral, FL) scored her first (assisted by Varner and Roeder). The Wolverines took advantage of an RMC injury to squeeze one in past Goalie Crystal Zace (Junior, Goalie, LaGrange Park, IL) at 15:29. Jessica Zalesky quickly made up that goal, scoring on an assist from Jennifer Norris and Allision Toft (Freshman, Forward, Alexandria, MN) at 13:35. The Eagles outshot the Wolverines 40-8 for a final score of 8-1, earning Goalie Crystal Zace the win.
In Game 2 action, the Eagles punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals with a 13-0 shut out against the #12-seeded team, the University of Maryland. The Terrapins kept up for the first period with an impressive 20 saves by the Maryland Goalie, only letting in two goals. The first came at the hand of Dana Paha (Junior, Defense, Homer Glen, IL) at 14:32. The Eagles didn’t score again until Varner got her first of the game, and her third of the day, with 1:10 left in the period.
The Eagles' speed, intensity, and control of the puck were too much for the Terrapins, as RMC scored nine consecutive goals in the second period, all during regular play:
Savannah Varner – Assisted by Boye at 16:25
Savannah Varner – Assisted by Ackerman at 16:06
Allison Toft at 15:34
Mindy Shelton – Assisted by Norris & Katie Kosibucki (Junior, Forward, Warroad, MN)
Savannah Varner – Assisted by Boye & Kristi Evans (Freshman, Defense, Edmonds, WA) at 11:45
Ashley Wehnes – Assisted by Roeder & Zalesky at 8:08
Savannah Varner – Assisted by Boye & Flanagan
Allison Toft - Assisted by Evans
Ashley Boye (pictured right) – Assisted by Varner & Ackerman
The third period saw the Eagles slow their attack down to perfect their skills, scoring only twice: the first by Kristi Evans, assisted by Ashley Hangsleben (Freshman, Forward, E. Grand Forks, MN), and Lisa Gens (Junior, Defense, Baudette, MN), assisted by Pam Roeder. Meeting the challenge thrown down by the team's offensive efforts, the RMC defense allowed only three shots on goal the entire game, giving Goalie Crystal Zace (pictured below left) an easy shot at earning her second win of the day.
The top four seeds in the tournament--#1 Robert Morris, #2 Lindenwood (MO), #3 Michigan State, and #4 Rhode Island--all advanced as the undefeated winners of their pools.
The Eagles are now 29-7-2, and hold a 5-1-1 record against the other three top seeds. Their loss came in the first meeting of the season with Lindenwood, 2-1. Their tie came on a last second goal of the their Sunday match-up with Michigan State.
Last season, the Eagles defeated Michigan State in the championship game of this tournament.
The Eagles will again take to the ice on Friday evening. Their opponent will be the second place team from Pool B of the competition, the University of Connecticut, who defeated Minnesota 3-1 in a Friday, 9:30 AM game. Box scores and an updated schedule can be found by clicking here. After the quarterfinals, the remaining teams will be reseeded for the semi-finals.
If the Eagles advance to the Semifinals with a win on Friday evening, their Saturday and Sunday games will be webcast with all the action called by Tom Wuestenfeld, the Voice of Robert Morris Athletics. Check this page tomorrow for links to those webcasts.
2005 National Champion
Lady Eagle Icers land
#1 seed in 2006 National Tournament!
The Lady Eagles Ice Hockey team will make their third appearance in as many years at the ACHA Women’s Division National Championship. The release of the fourth and final ranking of the 2005-2006 season determined the invitations for the National Championship. The Lady Eagles have sat comfortably as the #1 nationally ranked team throughout the entire season.
The Final National Rankings:
| 1 Robert Morris College 2 Lindenwood University 3 Michigan State University - Green 4 University of Rhode Island 5 University of Connecticut 6 University of Massachusetts 7 Western Michigan University 8 University of Michigan 9 University of Minnesota |
10 University of Colorado 11 North Dakota State University 12 Norwich University 13 University of Maryland 14 University at Buffalo 15 Penn State University (tie) Ohio State University (tie) |
Head Coach John Burke leads the team into the Championship after a stellar 25-7-2 season, including impressive sweeps in November 
of both the ACHA Showcase and the Estonian Ice Hockey Federation's International tournament in Tallinn, Estonia. Four of the team's seven losses come at the hand of NCAA Division I and III teams. The team will wrap up regular season home play February 18 & 19th against fellow ACHA member University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their final games of the season will take place at Western Michigan University (ACHA) on February 24th and 25th.
Members of last year's All Tournament team Ashley Boye (Sophomore, Cape Coral, FL, pictured at right) and Savannah Varner (Sophomore, Centerville, PA) are currently ranked #8 and #9 respectively as top scorers in the nation. Of the 54 goalies in the Women's Division, Crystal Zace (jersey #31) enters this year's tournament with a Top Ten ranking and a 94.7 saves percentage. Alternate goalie #30 Lori Barton is ranked 27th with a 96.1 saves percentage.
With a combination of intensity, puck control, and cycling, the Lady Eagles prepare to repeat as National Champions. The ACHA National Tournament, March 9th - 12th, will be hosted by #2 ranked Lindenwood University at the CenturyTel Ice Arena in Wentzville, Missouri. The first puck drops Thursday, March 9th at 9:00 AM for the Preliminary round. Quarter Finals are scheduled to take place on Friday, with the Semi-finals and Consolation rounds on Saturday. The Championship will be contested on Sunday, March 12th at 1:30 PM.
Women's Unbeaten Streak Hits 25!!
| February 5, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| Chatham College | 1 |
| February 4, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| Chatham College | 1 |
Game two went much the same way as game one, the Eagles dominated the Cougars but could only put goal on the board. #4 Klara Kludt got things going at the 17:55 mark of the first period, with a great individual effort. Once again the Eagles exploded for 5 goals in the second period, #10 Ashley Hangsleban, #7 Ashley Ackerman, #19 Ashley Boye each tallied for the Eagles, while #16 Savannah Varner picked up two goals, to push the Eagles lead to 6-0 after two periods. The third period saw the Eagles score 3 more times, # 21 Ashley Wehnes, #22 Jessica Zalesky, each scored while Varner picked the hat trick by adding one goal. The Cougars scored late to make the final score 9-1. The Eagle out shot the Cougars 58-12 and #30 Lori Barton picked up the victory in net.
Eagles Continue Unbeaten Streak
| January 28, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 8 |
| Michigan State | 1 |
Eagles Hot Streak Continues!!
| January 21, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 8 |
| Buffalo State | 1 |
The Eagles continued their torrid play as the swept NCAA D3 Buffalo State this past weekend. After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, the Eagles roared back scoring 8 straight goals to post an 8-1 victory. Scoring for the Eagles were #19 Ashley Boye registering a Hat Trick, also scoring were #27 Jennifer Norris, #4 Klara Kludt, #22 Jessica Zalesky, #16 Savannah Varner, and #21 Ashley Wehnes. Goalie #31 Crystal Zace faced 14 shots in the victory. The Eagles power play remained red-hot going 2 for 2.
| January 22, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 5 |
| Buffalo State | 1 |
| January 13, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 4 |
| St. Benedicts | 2 |
The Women's Hockey team continued their unbeaten streak this past weekend, playing at home against St Benedicts. On Friday night the Eagles skated to a 4-2 victory, powered by a 4 point (1G, 3A) performance by #19 Ashley Boye. Senior Defensemen #27 Jennifer Norris had 2 goals, and #16 Savannah Varner had 1goal.Goalie #31 Crystal Zace faced 31 shots in the victory
| January 14, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 4 |
| St Benedicts | 4 |
The game on Saturday had St Ben's jump out to a 4-1 lead in the second period, but the Eagles refused to go out quietly. The Eagles scored three straight goals, #10 Ashley Hangsleban, #16 Savannah Varner, and #19 Ashley Boye to tie the game at 4-4. A five minute overtime period failed to provide a winner. Final RMC 4 St Ben's 4
| January 6, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 11 |
| St. Kat's Wildcats | 0 |
After a three week holiday break the Eagles took on NCAA D3 St Catherines, in a pair of games this past weekend. The Eagles showed no signs of a layoff and they skated past the Wildcats 11-0 in game one. #16 Savannah Varner netted a hat-trick(3 goals) and 4 assists, followed by #19 Ashley Boye, and #14 Alison Toft with 2 goals and 2 assists each. Also scoring for the Eagles were #12 Shannon Nawoski, #13 Mindy Shelton,#8 Katie Kosobucki, and #27 Jennifer Norris.The Eagles peppered the Wildcats with 42 shots, while RMC goalie #31 Crystal Zace faced 20 shots in the shut-out victory.
| January 7, 2006 | |
| RMC Eagles | 7 |
| St. Kat's Wildcats | 0 |
In game two the Wildcats came out much stronger and held the Eagles to a 1-0 first period lead, on a goal by #16 Savannah Varner. The Eagles came out in the second period and dominated the Wildcats, scoring three times, goals by Varner, #12 Shannon Nawoski, and #8 Katie Kosobucki put the game out of reach. The Eagles would score three more times in the third period, #21 Ashley Wehnes, #4 Klara Kludt and #19 Ashley Boye all tallied goals for the Eagles. Again the Eagles out shot the Wildcats 39 -21 with Eagles goalie #30 Lori Barton recording the shut-out victory.
| Dec 10, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 6 |
| WMU Mustangs | 1 |
The effects of a 11 day layoff were evident when the Eagles took on the Western Michigan University Mustangs on Friday evening. The first two periods were very sloppy yet the Eagles managed a 2-1 lead off goals by #13 Mindy Shelton and #8 Katie Kosobucki. The effects of the layoff wore off in the third and the Eagles returned to true form. A hat trick in the third by #16 Savannah Varner and a single goal by Kosobucki carried the Eagles to victory, the final score RMC 6 WMU 1.
| December 9, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| WMU Mustangs | 0 |
The Eagles continued on Saturday what they started in the third period of Friday’s game. The Eagles cycling and pinpoint passing was to much for the Mustangs to handle, and only a great performance form the Mustangs goalie kept this one from getting really ugly. The Eagles scored nine straight goals to coast to a 9-0 victory. The line of #16 savannah Varner, #19 Ashley Boye , and #11 Alison Toft continue to be the dominant force in the ACHA. #16 Varner had 2 goals and 3 assists, #19 Boye had 2 goals and 2 assists, #11 Toft had 2 assists. Other Eagles to score in the rout were #12 Shannon Nawoski (2), #17 Pam Roeder (2), and #13 Mindy Shelton. At the Christmas break the Eagles record stands at 16 – 7, after a 2 – 7 start the Eagles have reeled off 14 straight wins, and have allowed only 2 goals in their last 11 games.
Lady Eagles Take Home Championship Cup in International Tournament!
Click HERE for pictures from the Estonia Trip!
The Lady Eagle’s traveled to Tallinn, Estonia over the Thanksgiving break to play in an International Ice Hockey Tournament hosted by the Estonian Ice Federation. The women did an outstanding job of representing Robert Morris College, USA Women’s Hockey, and our country. The Eagles swept thru the competition posting a 5 – 0 record, and became the first Women’s team from the USA to win the tournament.
| Game 1 | |
| RMC Eagles | 5 |
| Estonia | 0 |
| Game 2 | |
| RMC Eagles | 11 |
| Coventry Phoenix (GBR) | 0 |
| Game 3 | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| KFS Wildcats (DEN) | 0 |
| Quarter Finals | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| Riga Latvia | 0 |
|
Championship |
|
| RMC Eagles | 8 |
| Kingston Diamonds (GBR) | 0 |
ACHA Women's Division Showcase Recap
The Eagles left no doubt they are back in their 10-0 victory over UMass. The Eagles dominated from the start with first period goals by #27 Jen Norris, #19 Ashley Boye and #16 Savannah Varner. The second period was more of the same with goals by Norris, Boye and Varner extending the lead to 6-0. The Eagles scored four more times in the third period, 3 by Varner and 1 by Boye to coast to victory.
The Eagles and URI have had a history of tight games and this on was no exception. The Eagles tallied twice in the first on goals by #11 Alison Toft, and #9 Ashley Boye. After a scoreless second period the Eagles pushed their lead to 3-0, when Alison Toft scored again at the 9:11 mark. URI scored the only goal the Eagles would give up in the tourney at the 2:25 mark. The 3-1 victory assured the Eagles a spot in the Championship game.
The Eagles faced the University of Colorado in their cross over game. The Eagles dominated play but could only muster 4 goals on 46 shots against Buffalo’s goalie Mallory Most. The Eagles goals were scored by #11 Alison Toft (2) and #16 Savannah Varner (2), #19 Ashley Boye had 4 assists.
The Championship game of the Showcase was a rematch of last years National Championship, with the Eagles facing Michigan State. After a scoreless first period the Eagles struck twice in the second period. #22 Jessica Zalesky got the Eagles on the board at the 16.41 mark, and #19 Ashley Boye scored on a short handed goal at 12:30 in the period. The Eagles would go on the score twice more in the third period, #17 Pam Roeder, and Boye would tally goals for the Eagles, in the 4-0 victory. Eagles Goalie #31 Crystal Zace faced 23 shots in her shutout performance.
| November 12, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 8 |
| Minnesota Gophers | 2 |
This past weekend the Eagles traveled to Minnesota to take on the University of Minnesota in a pair of games. The Eagles continued their strong play, and dominance of the ACHA with a pair of victories. The Eagles started fast in game on scoring three first period goals. Scoring for the Eagles were #13 Mindy Shelton, #19 Ashley Boye, and #27 Jen Norris. The first period ended with the Eagles up 3-0. Minnesota scored on a power play to start the second period, to cut the lead to 3-1. The teams traded goals midway thru the period, with #13 Mindy Shelton scoring for the Eagles. At this point the Eagle took full control of the game, with #19 Ashley Boye scoring at the 3:37 mark and again at the: 44-second mark of the period. The second period ended Eagles 6 Minnesota 2. The Eagles came out strong in the third posting two more goals, the first by #19 Ashley Boye and the final goal of the game by #16 Savannah Varner. The final score RMC 8 Minnesota 2. Eagles goalie Lori Barton faced 19 shots in picking up her first ACHA win of the season.
| November 13, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 9 |
| Minnesota Gophers | 0 |
Game two of the weekend pair went much the same way as the first. The Eagles dominated from the start, scoring 4 first period goals. #16 Savannah Varner scored twice, #12 Shannon Nawoski and # 27 Gen Norris each had one. The second period tallied 4 more goals as #16 Savannah Varner scored 3 times, and #12 Shannon Nawoski scored her second of the game. The Eagles scored 1 more time in the third period, on a nice move by #4 Klara Kludt to seal the 9-0 win for the Eagles. The Eagles had 39 shots on the Gopher net minder, and #30 Lori Barton faced 12 shots in posting her second win of the weekend
| November 4, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 4 |
| Lindenwood Lions | 1 |
The home opener for the Lady Eagles was a match up of the ACHA's #1 and #2 teams from last year. The Eagles left no doubt who is the best team in the country, by sweeping the Lindenwood University Lions by scores of 4-1 and 3-2. Game one saw the Eagles dominate from the start, keeping the Lions high-powered offence in check. The Eagles jumped on top at the 12:39 mark when #11 freshman Alison Toft scored off a great pass in front of the net by #19 Sophomore Ashley Boye. The Eagles ended the first period leading 1-0. The Eagles scored twice in the second period. At 6:39 in the period #16 Sophomore Savannah Varner scored assisted by #9 Freshman Kristi Evans, and #19 Ashley Boye. The Eagles struck again 1:30 later on a power play when Defenseman #27 Senior Jen Norris scored from the point to put the Eagles up 3-0. Lindenwood drew first blood in the third period when an Eagles player collided with a referee, and the lions beat #31 Junior goaltender Crystal Zace for their only score. The Eagles answered that goal with 5:46 left in the game # 19 Ashley Boye scored on a wicked snap shot set up by #16 Savannah Varner. The Final score Eagles 4 Lindenwood 1.
| November 5, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 3 |
| Lindenwood Lions | 2 |
Game two of the series was an all out war, the Eagles played a tight checking game and Lindenwood seemed of have much more energy than the previous night. The first period was scoreless until the 1:09 mark when # 16 Savannah Varner scored to put the Eagles on top, assists went to #11 Alison Toft, and #9 Kristi Evans. The 1-0 lead would hold up until the second period when the Lions tied the game on a power play goal. With the game tied at 1-1 the Eagles went back to work and went ahead for good at 11:32 of the second period. #17 Freshman Pam Roeder scored off a great pass from #12 Freshman Shannon Nawoski. The second period ended 2-1 RMC. The third period featured the Eagles playing some of the most physical hockey they have ever played. The Lions found little room to skate, and their big guns were always covered. The Eagles scored the game winner at 13:19 of the third period, # 19 Ashley Boye scored on a power play assisted by #11 Alison Toft. Lindenwood came back to score at the 12:09 mark of the third period, but that would be as close as they would get. The final score RMC 3 Lions 2. The sweep of Lindenwood should assure the Eagles of the #1 ranking in the country.
| October 28, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 5 |
| Neumann Knights | 3 |
The Lady Eagle's were swept by the Neumann Knights by scores of 5-3, and 7-0. On sat. night the Eagles came out and took contol of the game from the start, scoring 2 first period goals. #17 Pam Roeder got the eagles on the board at th 6:29 mark,and two minutes later # 8 Katie Kosobucki put the eagles up 2-0. The Second period was all Neumann as they scored 4 stright goals to take a 4-2 lead. with time winding down in the second period # 11 Alison Toft scored on a breakaway to pull the Eagles within one, and the second period ended 4-3 Neumann on top. The Eagles played the Knights tough in the third but could not close the gap. At the 11:29 mark of the third period Neumann scord an insurance goal, and finished with a 5-3 win.
| October 29, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 0 |
| Neumann Knights | 7 |
Sunday's game was not pretty although the Knights only outshot the Eagles 30 to 24, they scored 7 times and coasted to a 7-0 victory. The loss leaves the Eagles with a 2-7 mark for the year and has everyone wondering what happened to the Eagles of last year.
| October 16, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 5 |
| Univ. of Mass. | 1 |
| October 15, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 1 |
| Sacred Heart Univ. | 5 |
| October 14, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 0 |
| Sacred Heart Univ. | 6 |
| October 9, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 2 |
| Lindenwood | 1 |
Saturday’s game saw a determined Eagles squad that control of the game from the start. The game was played for the most part in the Lions end, and the Eagles looked sharp. Sophomore #16 Savannah Varner put the Eagles ahead at the 17:12 make and the Eagles looked to be on their way. Great goaltending by the Lions kept the lead at one. A bad bounce of the puck at the 5:22 mark ended up on the stick of the Lions MVP, Kat Hannah, who promptly deposited it in the Eagles goal to tie the game 1-1.The second period was scoreless with the Eagles getting many good scoring opportunities, but the Lions goalie would not yield. The period ended with the score knotted at 1-1. The third period again saw the Eagles dominate play, but great goaltending by the Lions kept the Eagles at bay. At the 5:21 mark the Eagle saw their hard work pay off, when Junior Capitan #8 Katie Kosobucki beat the Lions goalie for the game winner. The last part of the game the Eagles held off determined Lindenwood team, to score their first win of the year. Junior Goalie #31 Crystal Zace was spectacular in net for the Eagles.
| October 8, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 2 |
| Lindenwood | 3 |
This past weekend, the Lady Eagles traveled to St Charles MO. to take on the Lions of Lindenwood U. Lindenwood was the second ranked team in the ACHA behind the Eagles last year. The lions now feature 11 Canadians on their roster including two new goalies. The first game was scoreless thru the first period, with the Eagles being tested quite often by an inspired Lions squad. With 2:40 left in the second period the Lions took the lead on a goal by their MVP Kat Hannah. The third period the Eagles dominated early with a goal at the 19:33 mark by Sophomore forward #19 Ashley Boye, with assists going to #16 Savannah Varner and #17 Pam Roeder. The Eagles struck again two minutes later when Junior center #13 Mindy Shelton scored to put the Eagles up 2-1, assists went to #27 Jen Norris and #16 Savannah Varner. The Eagles continued to battle but the Lions would not be denied in their home opener and came back to score twice in the period to take the contest 3-2. The Eagles out shot the Lions 25-17.
| October 2, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 3 |
| U of Windsor | 7 |
Game two Started with the Lancers taking the lead at the :31-second mark, on a deflection. The Eagles battled back to tie the game at the 10:36 mark of the first period on a power play goal by #16 Savannah Varner, #19 Ashley Boye got the assist. The eagle took the lead in the second period on a great play by #8 Junior Captain Katie Kosobucki, assists went to #13 Junior Mindy Shelton, and Senior Asst. Captain #27 Jen Norris. The Eagles could not hold off the Lancers, who went on to score once more in the second and three times in the third. The final, Lancers 7 RMC 3.Goalie Junior Lori Barton faced 34 shots This marks only the second time in team history the Lady Eagles have been swept in a series. The scores of both games ended up being lopsided, but were well played. The Eagles were not ready for the physical play of the Canadians, and with only one week of practice simply were not yet in game shape. If theses games were played a month from now the results would be much different.
| October 1, 2005 | |
| RMC Eagles | 2 |
| U of Windsor | 6 |
This past weekend the Lady Eagles traveled to Windsor, Ontario to take on the University of Windsor Lancers in a pair of Games. The Eagles came out on the short end of things both days, losing 6-1 and 7-3.In game one the Eagles took the lead at the 14:07 of the first period, on a short handed goal by #16 Sophomore Savannah Varner, assisted by #19 Sophomore Ashley Boye. That lead held up until 6:42 of the second period when the Lancers tied the game. The Lancers broke the game open with 5 goals in the third to skate away with a 6-1 victory. Goalie #31 Junior Crystal Zace faced 37 shots in the contest.
Robert Morris College Women’s Hockey Team announces their 2005 Freshman Class
Klara Kludt: a forward from Moorhead MN. Klara was member of the 2004 Minnesota Junior Festival team. Speed, great hands and the ability to put the puck in the net will have Klara competing for a spot on the top line. We are fortunate to have this highly recruited player for our 05/06 campaign.Pam Roeder: A forward from St Paul MN, Pam played her High school hockey at Apollo St. Cloud. Capitan 2004, All-Conference 03 and 04, St Cloud Times All Conference team 02, 03, 04. Pam lead her team in plus/minus in 04. Pam’s size and speed will make her a formidable opponent to play against in the corners and in front of the net. Her strength and desire to win at all costs will assure her of success in her rookie season.
Alison Toft: A forward from Alexandria MN. Alison played for Alexandria H.S. The teams Captain and leader 03, 04, Alison teamed up with her two younger sisters to form a line that lead her team to the State Championships (4th place 03, 04). Alison was an All Conference selection all four years at Alexandria. A member of the Junior Festival team and the CODP 02, 03, 04, Alison had her pick of schools, before deciding on RMC. Alison has the tools to be a star in any league. We expect to her to be an instant leader, and one of the leagues top players.
Ashley Hangsleban: A forward/defenseman from East Grand Forks, MN. Ashley played for East Grand Forks H.S. Voted the Top Female Athlete in 04, Ashley was team Capitan in 04 and a four year letter winner in hockey. Ashley was invited to the CODP in 02, and received the Hobey Baker Character Award in 04. Ashley is also an accomplished golfer, making it to sectionals all four years, and finishing 2nd in conference in 04. In addition to theses awards Ashley was a three year letter winner in soccer. Ashley is a player that can fill many roles, and her ability to play both offence and defense will make her a valuable recruit.
Shannon Nawoski: Shannon a defenseman from Aurora, IL. , played both club and high school hockey in her career. In 02 and 03 Shannon played for the Chicago Chill and held the Asst. Capitan’s spot for two years. Moving to the CYA AAA U19’s, Shannon was a member of the State Champions in 03 and 04, they were regional champs in 03 and 04 and National Finalists in 04. As part of her high Waubonsie Valley High School Boys Team, Shannon made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the State Championship, in 04, and was voted to the Metro West All-Star Team in 04. Shannon is a strong skilled defenseman who should compete for a position on the top defensive line.