Robert Morris (12-19-1, 2-8-0 CHA) vs. #7 Mercyhurst (22-7-3, 7-2-1 CHA)

Friday, February 29, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.

Mercyhurst Ice Center – Erie, Pa.

#7 Mercyhurst (22-7-3, 7-2-1 CHA) vs. Robert Morris (12-19-1, 2-8-0 CHA)

Saturday, March 1, 2008 – 7:35 p.m.

RMU Island Sports Center – Pittsburgh, Pa.

Top Story - The Robert Morris University women’s ice hockey team heads into its final two-game series of the regular season this weekend taking on the #7 Mercyhurst College Lakers in a home-and-home set. RMU is 0-12 lifetime against MC and take a 12-19-1 record into the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The Colonials are coming off a two-game sweep at the hands of Niagara last weekend. The Purple Eagles took game one, 2-1, marking the third consecutive game the Colonials have played with that final score (1-2). Junior Ali Proodian scored the lone goal, giving the forward two goals in three games against Niagara this season. Game two saw Niagara overcome an early 1-0 deficit in the first period with four unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 triumph. Sophomore Mallory Giambra netted the only tally for Robert Morris. Junior Brianne McLaughlin made 49 saves in the series.

Series Statistics - The Colonials are a lifetime 0-12 against Mercyhurst. The two teams last met for a home-and-home series back in October of 2007. The Lakers took both games by the scores of 3-0 and 6-1.

Climb the Ladder - Robert Morris has a tough task ahead of them if they want to climb the CHA standings. The Colonials currently sit in the fourth seed heading into next week’s CHA Championship tournament. If the team wants to move up in the standings they’ll have to do something they’ve never done before: beat Mercyhurst. RMU will need a series sweep of the Lakers along with a Wayne State sweep of Niagara to claim a third seed. Anything less will leave the Colonials in the fourth spot. 

Thanks for the Memories- Robert Morris will say goodbye to one of its own this weekend as senior Maria Olausson takes on the Lakers in her final game at the RMU Island Sports Center. In just two years, Olausson has played a major role in the success and growth of women’s ice hockey team. The native of Denmark became the first European born and national team player to dawn a Colonial uniform when she transferred to Robert Morris in the fall of 2006. She has played in 61 games thus far, accumulating five goals and 24 assists for 29 points..

Colonials On-Air - All Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey home games can be heard live on the internet by visiting www.sports.yahoo.com. Gero Von Dehn returns for his fourth season of play-by-play while Bob Kennedy will provide color commentary.

Head Coach Nate Handrahan (2nd Season; Niagara '00) - Head coach Nate Handrahan enters his second season as leader of the Robert Morris University women’s ice hockey team. Taking control of the helm in 2006-07, Handrahan devised a complete turnaround of the program from its inaugural season in 2005-06. The new Colonials took the community by storm, as the team reinvented many aspects of its game as proved evidenced by their overall record, statistics and their players.

Handrahan’s guidance and leadership took the team to new heights in its second season of intercollegiate play. The squad more than doubled its 2005-06 record by finishing the season with an 11-22-2 mark, compared to the first season’s 5-24-2 record. The revived offense under Handrahan exploded on the ice, scoring a combined 205 points, an improvement by more than 116 points. The defense proved strong in shutting down opponents, allowing 116 goals compared to the previous year’s 131.

The former Niagara stand out’s tutelage of his players was the most evident as the team grew as a whole throughout the season. Several players came to achieve at exceptional levels including the emergence of goaltender Brianne McLaughlin, who developed into one of the premier net-minders in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.

Before taking over the women’s ice hockey program, Handrahan, under head coach Derek Schooley, served as an assistant coach with the RMU men’s ice hockey team. In his duties, he assisted in the day-to-day operations of the team as well instructing on and off the ice. In his two years with the team, Handrahan helped the program to an 8-21-4 mark in its inaugural season and a 12-20-3 record in its second season.

A 2000 graduate of Niagara University, Handrahan returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2001 under Dave Burkholder. Handrahan’s duties included off-ice training, scouting, game film review, and coaching the team’s defensemen. Niagara earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2004 after winning the College Hockey America Tournament, marking Handrahan’s second trip to the NCAA postseason.

During his collegiate career, Handrahan played in every game for the Niagara Purple Eagles over four years, leading them to a No. 6 seed in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. The former defenseman, who played under current UMass-Lowell head coach Blaise MacDonald, was a two-time All-ECAC West selection and holds the Niagara record for most consecutive games played (129). Handrahan earned the team’s “PAW” award in 1997-98 and the “Unsung Hero Award” in the Purple Eagles playoff season of 1999-2000. He finished his career with 13 goals and 66 assists for 79 points.

Following the 1999-2000 season, Handrahan was signed by the Roanoke Express of the East Coast Hockey League, where he played the remainder of the 2000 season and the 2000-2001 season.

Handrahan and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters, Haylee and Mara and are expecting a third in February. He and his family reside in Aliquippa, Pa.

Road Woes - Robert Morris is suffering some road woes when playing outside the confinements of the RMU Island Sports Center. The Colonials are 5-12 when playing on the road, with four wins comings on a six-game road trip during the month of November and a fifth against #10 Wayne State two weeks ago.

Home, Sweet, Home - Home is where the heart is as well as the place where Colonials win. Robert Morris boasts a 7-7-1 record when playing in the confi nes of the RMU Island Sports Center, outscoring its opponents, 48-39.

Ten or Higher - Did you know that 11 players on the women’s ice hockey team have ten or more points this season. Juniors Alissa Dorman and Kathryn Traynor have cracked the double-digit mark with ten apiece, while junior blue-liner Samantha Ullrich is a point ahead with 11. Sophomore Jacki Gibson and freshman Kylie Rossler are tied with 13. Freshman Maria Stoa, sophomore Mallory Giambra and junior Megan Picinic are locked with 14. In a three-way tie for the lead are juniors Kristen Miles, Morgan Beikirch and freshman Sara O’Malley with 16 points.

Scouting the Lakers - Mercyhurst boast one of the most fearsome forward lines in all of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey with Team Canada participants Meghan Agosta and Valerie Chouinard. Both players are former CHA Player of the Year recipients with Chouinard earning the honor in

2006 and Agosta, the current award winner, this past season. Agosta is currently leading the Lakers in all point categories with 36 goals and 23 assists for 59 points, ranking fourth in the nation. Chouinard is second on the team with 13 goals and 30 assists with 43 points.

At defense, the Lakers are led by junior Natalie Payne and freshman Cassea Schols. Both blueliners lead the team in defenseman scoring, combining for 37 points thus far. Holding down the fort in net is Laura Hosier. The senior net-minder has been a key to the Lakers success over the past three season, continuining her dominance through her senior year posting a 17-6-3 record with a 2.07 goals against average and .916 save percentage.

“Three” is the Magic Number - For most people, the luckiest number is seven, but when the Colonials put up the number three on the scoreboard, they’re the ones with all the luck. In 11 of the teams’ 32 games, RMU is 9-1-1 in games when they score three goals or more.

Outside the CHA - Outside of College Hockey America play, Robert Morris is boasting a 10-11-1 record. The Colonials have marked  ten victories against opponents from the WCHA (Bemidji State, Minnesota State), Hockey East (Maine) and ECAC (Clarkson, Brown) while picking up a few wins over an independent team (Sacred Heart) and a top-10 Division III opponent (RIT).

Multi-Sports Athletes- The Robert Morris women’s ice hockey team knows how to make the most of their free-time away from the ice...on the other Colonial playing fields.  Juniors Megan Picinic and Morgan Beikirch all are dual-sport athletes at Robert Morris University.

Picinic, when she’s not playing forward for head coach Nate Handrahan, is out on the diamond playing for coach Coleman and the softball team while Beikirch likes to get a good round of 18 in as she plays for par and coach Stone with the women’s golf squad.

State Championship or Bust - Head coach Nate Handrahan has a couple players that know something about lengthy winning streaks. Freshmen Dy-anna Stewart and Maria Stoa helped engineer a 57-game winning streak as members of Eden Prairie’s women’s ice hockey team en route to a 2006 Minnesota State Championship.

Mile High to Motor City- Before coming to Robert Morris to play hockey, freshman Whitney Pappas relocated once before to play the game. Moving from the untraditional hockey area of Colorado, Pappas took her game to the booming area of Detroit, Michigan, where she played her senior season with Belle Tire in pursuit of Division I opportunities. Pappas is currently ranked fourth on the team in defenseman scoring with one goal and six assists for seven points.

Two is Always Better- The Riley sisters are the first set of twins to play a sport for the Colonials since the Aloi sisters, Natalie and Nicole, played softball and graduated from Robert Morris in 2001.