PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The No. 1 / 2 Mercyhurst College women's hockey team scored a season-high nine goals as the Lakers downed Robert Morris, 9-2, in a College Hockey America contest Saturday evening at the RMU Island Sports Center. The Lakers, who now have defeated RMU in 22-straight games, improve to 23-2-3 on the season and 10-1-1 in league play. 

Six different players scored goals in the contest, including junior captain Melissa Lacroix and sophomores Bailey Bram and Jess Jones with two apiece, to help Mercyhurst surpass its previous season-high of eight goals, set against Colgate Nov. 27 and tied on three other occasions.

Lacroix scored two goals in the first period to mark a new career-high with four goals in a season. Bram increased her team-leading goal total to 24 with an even-strength marker and the Lakers' 18th short-handed goal of the season, pulling them within one of tying the NCAA record of 19. Jones, meanwhile, tallied two of the team's three power-play goals in the game while also adding an assist for three points.

Additionally, three players combined for eight assists in the contest. Juniors Jesse Scanzano and Cassea Schols dished out three assists each, while junior captain Vicki Bendus posted two helpers on the evening. Scanzano now has 33 assists and 50 points on the season, just two points behind Bendus with 52.

Mercyhurst broke out with five goals in the first period to take a 5-2 lead into intermission. Both teams traded goals to open the game, with Lacroix scoring at the 5:09 mark and RMU's Sara O'Malley striking just 42 seconds later at 5:51. After nearly a 10-minute break in the action, Mercyhurst broke the tie with three-straight scores in a two minute and 12 second span. Jones started the spurt at 15:05, followed by junior Ashley Cockell at 16:10 and Lacroix at 17:17. Bram closed out the frame and wiped away an RMU score when she netted her first of the game on the power play with 44 seconds remaining.

The Lakers added to their lead with four goals over the next two periods. Freshman Lauren Jones scored the only goal of the middle stanza on a shot from the redline that snuck in between the pads of replacement netminder Danica Butterfield at 10:17. Butterfield made 26 saves after taking over for starter Kristen DiCiocco late in the first. DiCiocco played 14 minutes with seven saves and two goals allowed.

MC got back to its scoring ways early in the third, netting back-to-back goals just 78 seconds apart. Bram made it a 7-2 game when she scored a short-handed goal on a 6-on-4 opportunity at 2:22, while Jess Jones stretched the lead to six with a power-play tally at 3:40. Mercyhurst finished the game 3-for-7 on the power play and held Robert Morris 0-for-7 with the man-advantage.

Senior captain Johanna Malmstrom closed out the game with her second-career marker at 19:13.

Sophomore Hillary Pattenden recorded the win with nine saves over 43 minutes and 40 seconds worth of action. She is now 23-2-3 on the season. Freshman Stephanie Ciampa wrapped up the remainder of the game with two stops. Mercyhurst outshot Robert Morris 42-13.

Following this weekend, Mercyhurst returns to action with a two-game series against Wayne State on Friday, Feb. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.