Women's Hockey | 11/6/2011 5:13:00 PM
Click here for game stats
ROCHESTER, NY – The No. 2 RIT women's hockey team (4-0-0, 2-0-0 ECAC West) won its fourth straight game to start the 2011-12 season, defeating visiting Utica (2-2-0, 0-2-0 ECAC West) 8-1 at Ritter Arena on Sunday afternoon.
#
Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas)# recorded her second career hat-trick and added an assist. #
Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) and
Melissa Bromley (Aurora, Ontario/Aurora Panthers)# scored their first collegiate goals, while #
Tenecia Hiller (Brampton, Ontario/Brampton Thunder)#, #
Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/LA Selects)#, and #
Julie Hall (Mississauga, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs)# also scored for the Tigers.
Kuncihika added a pair of assists, giving her a trio of three point games this season. McCrea's four points is a career-high.
RIT dominated play throughout, out-shooting the Pioneers 59-11. The Tigers were 2-for-5 with the man-advantage, while Utica was 1-for-2.
RIT freshman goaltender #
Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs)# made her collegiate debut and recorded her first win, stopping 10 shots.
Vanessa Maines scored Utica's lone goal. Marissa Hotaling started in goal for the Pioneers, stopping seven shots i just over eight minutes of play before being replaced by Marissa McNamara. McNamara made 44 saves on 50 shots.
RIT got off to a great start, scoring twice in the first 6:57, out-shooting Utica 19-6 to go up 2-0 after one period of play.
McCrea tipped in a shot in tight from Hiller on a power-play just 46 seconds in to give RIT a 1-0 lead. Kunichika fed McCrea, who found Hiller at the right side of the net. McCrea came around the other side and tipped Hiller's shot in for her third goal in the last two games.
Kunichika fired in a shot from the right face-off circle after she won the draw. #
Ariane Yokoyama (Van Nuys, CA/LA Selects) and
Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy)# dug out the puck off the draw and Kunichika was there to pick it up and beat Hotaling high.
The Tigers exploded for four second period goals, taking a 6-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Maugeri gave RIT the 3-0 lead as she took a feed from #
Erin Zach (Elmira, Ontario/Cambridge Fury)# in the neutral zone and sped away on a breakaway. She made a great deke on McNamara, going forehand-backhand-forehand for the goal.
Hiller made it 4-0 47 seconds later, taking a feed from McCrea at the side of the net and jamming the puck home for her fourth tally of the season.
McCrea tipped a point shot from #
Jamie Parhar (Calgary, Alberta)# past McNamara for her second tally of the season, giving RIT a 5-0 lead.
Bromley deftly tipped a point shot from #
Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres)# just inside the left post as she was standing alone in front to put RIT up 6-0.
Maines got Utica on the board in the final seconds of the second period, converting her own rebound after Binnington made a great save in front.
Hall got her second goal in two games, getting a feed from behind the net, coming out in front and slipping a shot home.
McCrea completed the hat-trick, one-timing a pass from Kunichika in the slot for her fifth goal of the weekend.
Yesterday, RIT cruised to a 7-1 win over the Pioneers, as McCrea tallied twice, and Kunichika, and #
Kristina Moss (Webster, NY/Buffalo Bisons)# dished out three assists apiece.
RIT is 14-2-0 all-time against the Pioneers and have won 10 straight in the series dating back to Feb. 2, 2008.
The Tigers return to action on Friday and Saturday at SUNY Potsdam. Friday's contest will begin at 7 p.m., while Saturday's gets underway at 2 p.m.
