Robert Morris Eagles women's ice hockey

Instant dynasty (2003–08)

Edge Ice Arena, RMU's home since the 2006–07 season

Robert Morris College (as the school was known until May 1, 2009) added women's hockey to its athletic department for the 2003–04 season.

The Eagles, under head coach John Burke, quickly assembled a roster that was among the nation's best, featuring stars like co-captains Leah Johnson and Krista Sleen, as well as Warroad, Minnesota product Lisa Gens. Beginning a trend in the program that continues to the present, the inaugural roster was geographically diverse, featuring players local to Chicago and Illinois, but also from places as far away as Texas and Washington.^[1] From the program's inaugural game, a 10–0 victory at then-home Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills, Illinois against Notre Dame on October 10, 2003, RMC had little issue with most ACHA competition, losing within the association only to eventual national champion Wisconsin and emerging power Lindenwood during the regular season. The program captured its first trophy midway through the year by taking first place at the White Out Tournament, hosted by UMass and the first mid-season showcase event held within the ACHA's women's divisions.^[2] That title also led to Robert Morris' first-ever number one ranking in the ACHA polls, in Ranking 3 of that season. The Eagles would retain the top position for ten ranking periods, spanning two and a half seasons (a time-period reign that was eventually matched by Lindenwood from 2009–11 but has never been exceeded).

As the ACHA's top-ranked team, RMC was invited to the 2004 ACHA National Tournament, held in East Lansing, Michigan. However, the Eagles dropped their opener to No. 8 Colorado despite goals by Leah Johnson, Kathleen Johnson and Mindy Shelton,^[3] a defeat that eventually cost the squad a spot in the semifinals, before dumping No. 12 University of Pennsylvania and then tying No. 11 Penn State in a consolation game to finish sixth.

A already-strong team got even stronger in the seasons that followed thanks largely to its 2004 entering class, which went on to become one of the best and most decorated in ACHA history. Erie, Pennsylvania's Savannah Varner, the ACHA's 2006–07 Zoë M. Harris Player of the Year and an All-American in 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2007–08 headlined the group, which also featured NCAA transfers Crystal Zace (a goaltender from Bemidji State) and Jennifer Norris (a defenseman from Wisconsin–Stevens Point). Other standouts included Katie Kosobucki, another Warroad High School graduate, and Ashley Boye from the noted Belle Tire youth program in Michigan.^[4]

From the 2004–05 season through 2007–08, the Eagles lost just ten games against ACHA competition, all against perennial contenders Lindenwood and Michigan State. That reality, in part, led to RMC frequently seeking outside challenges, most significantly from NCAA Division III and U Sports (then called CIS) competition. Throughout the 2000s, Robert Morris schedules generally numbered between 40 and 45 games, with the 2006–07 slate serving as representative: 25–2–1 in 28 ACHA games, 5–4–1 in ten games against NCAA squads, and 0–5–0 versus CIS foes.^[5]

During the 2005–06 season, RMC traveled to Tallinn, Estonia to compete in a tournament against seven European teams, and hosted by the Estonian Ice Hockey Association in an effort to get the brand-new Estonia women's national ice hockey team off the ground. The Eagles beat Estonia by a 5–0 count in their tournament opener the day after Estonia defeated Iceland in their first-ever international contest.^[6] Thanks to Varner's hat trick, RMC routed British side Kingston Diamonds 8–0 to capture the title, after also defeating Coventry Phoenix (Great Britain), KFS Wildcats (Denmark), and a team from Riga, Latvia.^[7][8]

Stateside, the Eagles' dominance in the ACHA made invitations to nationals a foregone conclusion, with the season's success usually ultimately hinging on the last words against other top squads. The team qualified for the ACHA semifinals for six consecutive seasons from 2004–05 through 2009–10, with the first five of that run featuring championship game appearances.

Weaver era and continued success (2008–14)

The main rink at Edge Ice Arena includes the Eagles' collection of championship banners

Robert Morris endured its first significant era change in 2008, as the 2004 entering class that formed much of the core responsible for the 2005 and 2007 national championships graduated (or already had, in the case of transfer players). Furthermore, Burke departed midway through the 2008–09 campaign after five-and-a-half seasons behind the Eagles bench. He was replaced on an interim basis by long-time assistant Chris Chelios (no relation to the Hockey Hall of Fame player) for the remainder of 2008–09, before Tom Robertson became the permanent replacement.

If those disruptions hurt the team, it wasn't immediately apparent. The Eagles brought in a loaded recruiting class in 2008, headlined by Alaska native Ramey Weaver, North Dakota's Cassie Beckerleg and Californian Rachel Black. Those freshmen combined with underclass stars like Danielle McCutcheon and Hope Fullum to drive the program for the next few years. Despite the heavy graduations and coaching uncertainty, RMU maintained its position near the top of the ACHA during 2008–09 and 2009–10, never falling below fifth in the rankings, and making its fifth and sixth consecutive trips to the national tournament semifinals. Both seasons ended in heartbreak however, first with one more title game loss to Lindenwood, then with a narrow semifinal defeat to Michigan State.

In 2010, Robert Morris joined the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association, ending the program's run as an independent team. With its CCWHA membership, RMU once again found itself competing for trophies with Lindenwood (which had joined the conference in 2007), although the reunion was short-lived, as the Lions left the CCWHA and the ACHA for College Hockey America and NCAA Division I after 2010–11, the Eagles' first season in the league.

Still, 2010–11 was a season for the record books, literally. The Eagles added 5-11 Alberta native Mandy Dion - a Lindenwood transfer - that year, and Dion promptly posted a staggering 79 goals and 122 points, both single-season RMU records (Dion, in fact, ranks sixth in Robert Morris career scoring, despite only spending one season as a player in Chicago). McCutcheon was just behind Dion with 120 points, and would capture the Zoë M. Harris Award that season, while Weaver added 93 points as the Eagles battered most of the competition in their new league, finishing second to Lindenwood during the regular season and losing only to the Lions within the CCWHA. However, the postseason brought bitter disappointment as LU defeated RMU in the conference semifinals and the Eagles failed to escape the pool round at nationals for the first time since their inaugural 2003–04 season, after losses to eventual national champion Michigan State and an ascendant Northeastern team that would go on to win the title in 2011–12.

Robert Morris found its greatest CCWHA success in 2011–12 and 2012–13 under head coach Bud Hickey, winning the league regular season championship in both seasons (with a combined CCWHA record of 29–1–4), as well as the playoff title in 2011–12,^[18] with the playoff championship largely due to the play of Staci Pomering. Pomering, a goaltender who transferred from NCAA Division III's University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, allowed just two goals across five games against Michigan (twice), Grand Valley State, Western Michigan, and Ohio State to win tournament MVP honors. That success vaulted RMU to the top spot in the polls heading into nationals for the first time since the 2006–07 championship season, but a 1–0 semifinal loss to Minnesota on a goal in the last three minutes of regulation stalled the quest for a third national title.^[19] The Eagles were still represented well during 2011–12 awards season, however, with Weaver's 67-point campaign good enough for RMU's second straight Zoë M. Harris Award - and fourth overall, surpassing Lindenwood for the most all-time. Hickey, in his first season with the Eagles women after three with RMU's ACHA Men's Division 2 squad, was the ACHA's coach of the year, thanks largely to the team's return to prominence after the hard-to-swallow ending of 2010–11.^[20]

RMU's CCWHA tournament title defense failed in 2012–13 when Maria Barlow and Michigan State shut the Eagles out 1–0 in the championship game,^[21] while Liberty ended Robert Morris' ACHA title hopes in the semifinal round for the third time in four years thanks to Carrie Jickling's goal to win a double overtime epic.^[22]

The 2013–14 campaign started with a jolt as the Eagles, somewhat unexpectedly, ended up with two top players not with the team during the previous season. The first was Weaver, who had originally graduated in 2012 but returned after a year off to complete her eligibility. The other was Hayley Williams. Williams had been an NCAA Division I player at Bemidji State in 2009–10 but left the team and the sport after that season, attending the school for two more years before returning home to the Chicago area. She then volunteered to help out at Chicago Steel home games, and the USHL franchise sharing Edge Ice Arena with RMU at the time facilitated a chance meeting with a former teammate that ended with Williams resurrecting her career with the Eagles.^[23] Weaver and Williams were generally considered 2013–14's headliners (both were first team All-Americans and first team All-CCWHA selections, with Williams capturing RMU's record-extending fifth Zoë M. Harris Award), but heavy contributions from players like Chelsea Kasprick, Jessica Merritt and Madi Biluk once again made Robert Morris one of the ACHA's most explosive teams.

On February 8, 2014, Robert Morris defeated Grand Valley State 4–2, in an outdoor contest as part of a multi-game event dubbed the Winter Frost Faceoff and held at MB Financial Plaza (now Parkway Bank Park) in nearby Rosemont, Illinois.^[24][25]

The Eagles spent the entire season ranked third or fourth in the polls, and finished second in the CCWHA standings, behind a Miami team at the beginning of their own dynasty (the RedHawks would win their first national championship that season to begin a stretch of three in four years). However, things fizzled out quickly in the postseason: Michigan State and Michigan teams fighting for national tournament bids beat and tied RMU in the pool round at the CCWHA playoffs to prevent the Eagles from advancing to the semifinals,^[26] while an overtime loss to Adrian and a tie with Liberty delivered the same fate at nationals.

Recent seasons (2014–present)

Following the challenging 2014 season, RMU entered a transitional period both on the ice and on the bench. After the Eagles missed the ACHA National Tournament for the first time in program history in 2014–15, Chelios (then in a second brief stint as the team's head coach) was let go cutting a line of continuity to the program's early days. Jennifer Wilson was then hired as Chelios' replacement. Wilson was an accomplished player, including skating for the 2005–06 ECAC East championship team at Manhattanville College before playing two seasons at RMU, where she posted 49 points from 2012–14, and she had also spent time as an assistant coach with Saint Michael's College's NCAA program.

Wilson began rebuilding the team with a stellar 2015 entering class that included standout defenseman Alex Nurse, cornerstone forwards Bria Berggren, Grace Dynek, and Madison Schultz, as well as a few star transfers like Allyson Zachwieja (Marian University) and Rebecca Dilley (Bethel University). That group joined a solid existing core, notably including then-rising-sophomore Makaila Anderson, who would go on to be the number eight scorer in program history, as of the end of 2017–18. Rachel Arias and Emily Urban would add offensive punch among the 2016 entries.

The 2015–16 season proceeded with highs and lows typical of a young team, with highs including upsets of Michigan and Grand Valley State that boosted the Eagles to tenth in the rankings late in the season, in position to aim for a national tournament bid. The win over the Lakers was particularly noteworthy, as Dynek scored the winning goal on a 3-on-0 rush with just five seconds remaining,^[27] and GVSU wound up as the national runners-up that year. The season quickly crashed from there though - RMU not only missed nationals, but also missed the CCWHA playoffs for the first time since joining the conference, as the Eagles were edged by a single point by Davenport for the sixth and final spot. The following year saw measurable progress, as Robert Morris not only returned to the playoffs, but also upset Michigan to advance to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2013. Dynek, Berggren, Zachwieja, and Anderson all scored in the victory over the Wolverines.^[28]

Wilson left for the head coach job with NCAA Division III program Buffalo State after 2016–17, and she was replaced by Sonja Novak. Novak also came highly regarded in the hockey world, thanks largely to her time as a player with Princeton University and the Czech Republic women's national ice hockey team, helping the latter to win consecutive division promotions at the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship and 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship (including seven points in five games during the 2012 tournament). Although Novak's first season was derailed late by a slew of injuries, RMU still managed its fair share of highlights while qualifying for the CCWHA playoffs for the second consecutive year. On November 10, 2017, at its hosted ACHA showcase, the Eagles toppled fifth-ranked UMass 3–2. After trailing 2–1 into the last six minutes of the contest, Katie Merrell tied things up on the power play, then Urban capped the dramatic victory with just 33 seconds remaining.^[29] Exactly one week later, Laura Noble delivered a 34-save shutout of Michigan, supported by goals from Nurse and Abby Cardew.

Career scoring leaders

Single season scoring leaders

Notable goaltenders

† Career includes games during the 2006–07, 2007–08 and/or 2008–09 seasons, during which the ACHA did not accurately track goaltending statistics. Ashley Miller played from 2006–10, Crystal Zace played from 2004–07, and Jade Getz played from 2007–10.

National rankings

The ACHA began compiling a national ranking in 2003–04, issued four times per season, with the top twelve (from 2003–04 through 2008–09) or eight (from 2009–10 on) in the fourth ranking, released in February, receiving a bid to the ACHA National Tournament. A preseason ranking was initiated beginning with 2014–15. Beginning with the 2016–17 season, the ACHA tabulated rankings each week during the season and issued them on Tuesdays following weekends including games.^[35]

Robert Morris is one of just three programs (with Michigan State and Rhode Island) to appear in every ACHA national ranking.

Regional rankings

From 2000–01 through 2002–03, prior to the establishment of Robert Morris' program, regional rankings were the sole method for determining ACHA National Tournament bids. The inaugural 2000–01 season featured teams divided into East and West Regions, with the top four from each in February's final ranking invited to nationals. For 2001–02 and 2002–03, the setup was expanded to include East, Central and West Regions. Under that system, the top two from each region were invited to nationals, along with two wild card teams. In 2003–04, RMU's inaugural year, the tournament field was expanded to 12 teams, and a national ranking was introduced. The latter development diminished the importance of the regional rankings, as the national rankings were used to determine nationals bids. Regional champions were still awarded an autobid, however, even if ranked outside of the top 12 nationally. In 2004–05, growth in the number of ACHA women's teams resulted in an increase to four regions - Northeast, Southeast, Central and West - although things reverted to East, Central and West in 2007–08. The 2009–10 season was notable both for the fact that the tournament field was reduced back to eight teams and as the final year of the regional system, which had become largely antiquated as regional champions generally had little issue placing highly in the national rankings. Robert Morris was included in the Central Region for the duration of its existence within the regional ranking system.

Annual awards

All-Americans and All-Tournament selections including all seasons except 2008–09. Academic All-Americans including all seasons except 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2015–16.

Sources:^{[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] [62]}

Monthly awards

During the 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons, the ACHA presented a series of monthly awards for both men's and women's divisions.

2010 ACHA women's select team

As a precursor to World University Games participation, the ACHA assembled a first-of-its-kind women's select team that toured Geneva, Switzerland, Chamonix, France and Méribel, France during April 2010. The team included Weaver, as well as Eagles goaltender Ashley Miller, as RMU player representatives.^[81][82] Its final record overseas was 2–2–0, including two close losses to the France women's national ice hockey team and two decisive wins over local club teams.^[83]

Davenport

Although there's a fair amount of contrast between the histories of the two programs, given that Davenport only started its team in 2013–14 and has yet to qualify for the ACHA National Tournament, the Eagles and Panthers have nevertheless developed a healthy feud in a relatively short time. DU (along with fellow Grand Rapids, Michigan-area schools Aquinas College and Grand Valley State University) is RMU's closest CCWHA competitor, and the two teams have spent much of the last few seasons jockeying for league playoff position. In 2015–16, Davenport knocked RMU out of the league playoffs for the first time ever when the Panthers pulled off a late-season upset of then-No. 4 GVSU to edge the Eagles by one point in the standings. During the season series, RMU did win five of a possible eight points from Davenport, although crucially, DU forced overtime through a Lexie Boydston goal with 22 seconds remaining on November 7, 2015.^[84] While the Eagles did go on to take that game thanks to an Abbey Revelle winner, the Panthers' point earned with the overtime loss wound up being the difference between the teams in the standings.^[85]

The Eagles got the best of Davenport in that regard on other occasions. The 2014–15 regular season, for example, ended with Robert Morris as the last team in the CCWHA playoffs, one point ahead of the Panthers. This occurred in spite of the fact that DU won the only series between the teams that year - although RMU made up for that deficit with upset wins over Michigan State and Adrian. The Eagles similarly made the conference playoffs in both 2016–17 and 2017–18 while Davenport did not, although the margins were more comfortably in RMU's favor on those occasions.

Robert Morris and Davenport have met once in postseason play, with the Eagles taking a 9–3 CCWHA playoff win on February 21, 2014. Ramey Weaver scored four times for RMU, including twice in the first 10:07 of the contest and sandwiching a Madi Biluk tally, as the Eagles ran out to an early 3–0 advantage and never looked back.^[86]

Through the end of the 2017–18 season, RMU owns an 11–4–2 series advantage on the Panthers.

Michigan State

From independent national powers to CCWHA rivals, Robert Morris and Michigan State have frequently been in each other's way over stakes both large and small, and both are among the ACHA's most storied programs with a pair of national championships apiece.

The first time the Eagles and Spartans met was also the most important: the 2005 national championship game, won by RMC in a 7–1 rout. Since then, however, the teams have faced off four additional times at nationals, all within a span of five years between 2009 and 2013. The first two of those, 2009 and 2010, occurred in the semifinal round. Robert Morris took the first of those by a 3–0 count, upsetting the second-ranked Spartans behind two Weaver goals and an Ashley Miller shutout.^[87] MSU got even the next year with a 2–1 win that snapped the four-year run of RMU vs. Lindenwood title games. In 2011's tournament, a 4–0 loss to MSU in the pool round helped stop the Eagles short of the semifinals for the first time in seven years en route to an eventual national championship for the Spartans, while 2013's pool round tilt went to the Eagles thanks, in part, to two Chelsea Kasprick tallies.^[88]

Once Robert Morris joined the CCWHA in 2010, it gave the programs an additional venue for competition. Michigan State, however, has won all four matchups to date in the league playoffs. Two of those contests took place in the same postseason, 2013, after RMU had won the conference regular season crown (and both CCWHA titles in 2011–12). However, Spartans goalie Maria Barlow shut out the always-potent Eagles twice in the tournament - once in the pool round, then by a 1–0 count in the CCWHA championship game.^[89]

Michigan State won the 2017–18 season series from Robert Morris by sweeping a pair of games at Munn Ice Arena on February 10 and 11, 2018.

Lindenwood

Although now dormant as a result of LU's move to NCAA Division I for the 2011–12 season, the Lions and RMU ruled the ACHA's top women's division for most of the 2000s.

The teams met five times during the first two seasons of Robert Morris' program, but the rivalry began in earnest during the 2005–06 season. That year, Eagles took three of four early-season meetings, but in the 2006 ACHA championship game - played at LU's home Lindenwood Ice Arena - Kristen Dlugos' goal 1:40 into overtime delivered the title for the Lions.^[90] That game kicked off a run of four straight seasons that ended with Robert Morris and Lindenwood playing each other for the title. RMU took the final victory in 2007, but the Lions emerged with the championship in 2008 and 2009, in addition to their 2006 win.

The 2008 championship game was a particularly notable moment in the rivalry, as Ashley Boye assisted on both Lindenwood goals to help LU recapture the crown with a 2–1 victory at Edge Ice Arena. Boye had been a star for the Eagles during the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons (winning the 2005 ACHA title in the process) before departing for St. Lawrence's NCAA Division I program in 2006–07. She then returned to the ACHA for that 2007–08 season, but with Lindenwood, where she helped defeat her former team for the title on its home ice.^[91]

Fortunately for Robert Morris, the transfer train ran both ways, as former Lions ace Mandy Dion headed to Chicago in 2010–11 and posted the most prolific single season in Eagles history, with 122 points. Dion would also subsequently serve as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at RMU for five seasons.^[92]

The teams met for one final weekend in 2011–12, where Lindenwood, then in their first season as an NCAA program, swept a three-game series with RMU by 4–1, 4–1, and 6–0 scorelines.^[93] Those results gave Lindenwood an indefinite 28–11–4 series lead.

Current roster

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	DoB	Hometown	Previous team
1		Laura Noble	Senior	G	5' 9" (1.75 m)	1992-12-10	Taber, Alberta	Taber Oilers
2		Katie Merrell	Sophomore	F	5' 2" (1.57 m)	1998-06-22	Idaho Falls, Idaho	Idaho Selects (USAH Rocky Mountain)
5		Bria Berggren	Junior	F	5' 0" (1.52 m)	1997-01-21	Mason City, Iowa	Mason City Mohawks
6		Cassidy Schukat	Sophomore	D	5' 5" (1.65 m)	1998-05-11	Maine Township, Illinois	Maine High School (USHS–IL)
7		Kayla Winkleman	Freshman	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	1998-11-11	St. Louis, Missouri	St. Louis Cyclones (USAH Central)
8		Madison Schultz	Junior	F	5' 6" (1.68 m)	1996-11-11	Canton, Michigan	Michigan Ice Dogs
9		Makaila Anderson	Senior	F	5' 2" (1.57 m)	1996-05-23	Minot, North Dakota	Minot High School (USHS–ND)
10		Ali Sinnett	Freshman	D	5' 6" (1.68 m)	1999-06-28	Carmel, Indiana	Carmel Icehounds (USHS–IN)
13		Abby Cardew	Freshman	F	5' 7" (1.7 m)	1999-06-28	Appleton, Wisconsin	Fox Cities Stars (USHS–WI)
15		Valerie Whalen	Freshman	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	1999-02-25	Chicago, Illinois	Glen Ellyn Admirals
16		Julia Vara	Sophomore	F	5' 6" (1.68 m)	1998-01-25	Oak Park, Illinois	Fenwick High School (USHS–IL)
17		Alexandra Nurse	Junior	D	5' 3" (1.6 m)	1996-11-25	Duvall, Washington	Washington Wild (USAH Pacific)
19		Maddie Pfalzer	Junior	D	5' 6" (1.68 m)	1994-09-09	Lake Forest, Illinois	Lake Forest High School (USHS–IL)
22		Caroline Snyder	Junior	D	5' 7" (1.7 m)	1997-06-02	Glendon, Alberta	Glendon Comets
25		Emily Urban	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	1998-07-09	Worth, Illinois	Andrew Rattlers
29		Marissa Brokaw	Senior	D	5' 7" (1.7 m)	1996-07-11	Virginia Beach, Virginia	Hampton Roads Jr. Admirals (USAH Southeast)
35		Kendra Gallaher	Junior	G	5' 8" (1.73 m)	1995-09-01	Goodrich, Michigan	Michigan Ice Dogs
39		Lauren Yomantas	Junior	G	5' 6" (1.68 m)	1994-10-11	Chicago, Illinois	Davenport University (ACHA)
89		Rachel Arias	Junior	F	5' 4" (1.63 m)	1995-12-21	Chicago, Illinois	Team Illinois (USAH Central)
		Audrey Shaw	Junior	F	5' 5" (1.65 m)	1996-07-26	West Bloomfield, Michigan	Livonia Knights (USAH Michigan)

Notable alumni

• Danielle McCutcheon (2007–11) - Former player for the EHV Sabres in the Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga and the Elite Women's Hockey League
• Savannah Varner (2004–08) - Player for Alleghe in Italian Serie A
• Hayley Williams (2013–14) – Player for the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), formerly of the Brampton Thunder of the CWHL and the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League, and a participant in the 1st NWHL All-Star Game