PITTSBURGH— Robert Morris University women’s hockey picked up right where they left off last season as they beat the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks 6-1. Last season, the Colonials end with a record of 21-8-4 and fell to Mercyhurst in the CHA final while the UOIT Ridgebacks finished last season with a record of 8-16. Despite the fact that RMU graduated seven players, they were able to look like the same team in this convincing win.

RMU started out a little slow as they took around six minutes into the game to find their legs, but once Anjelica Diffendal found the back of the net off an assist from Emily Curlett, it was smooth sailing from there. Kirsten Welsh scored another goal for the Colonials halfway through the period on the team’s only power play of the night after Alex Frigon of UIOT was called for tripping.

For the entirety of the game, the Colonials were skating circles around the Ridgebacks. RMU dominated in almost every aspect of the game and despite being called for three separate penalties, the Ridgebacks couldn’t find the back of the net during any of their opportunities.

Once the second period began, the Colonials took over completely. In this period they scored two more goals before they added another two in the third period. Although the Ridgebacks were able to get on the scoreboard in the third when Nicole Zabel found the back of the net, it was too little too late for them to climb back into the game. The game saw a shot differential that was heavily in favor of the Colonials, who took a whopping 50 shots, while UOIT only took a measly 15.

Although the game was a preseason game that doesn’t really reveal much, it should fill fans with some confidence as the offense generated six goals despite the loss of star player Brittany Howard. Moving forward, the Colonials will be playing against the St. Lawrence Saints on September 28th, so keep an eye out to see how the Colonials play in their first non-exhibition game of the season.