POTSDAM, NY – The RIT women's hockey team (0-1-0) dropped its opening contest of the 2013-14 season, falling to No. 3 Clarkson University (1-0-0), 12-1 at Cheel Arena on Saturday afternoon.

#Erin Zach (Elmira, Ontario/Cambridge Fury)# scored RIT's lone goal, 3:50 into the second period. She converted a rebound in front after the original shot by #Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) was stopped by Clarkson goaltender Erica Howe. (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate)Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers)# also assisted on the goal.

Ten different players scored for Clarkson. Erin Ambrose led the Golden Knights with the hat-trick and one assist. Renata Fast added three assists. Genevieve Bannon, Vanessa Plante, Shelby Nisbet, Olivia Howe, Cayley Mercer, Carly Mercer, Vanessa Gagnon, Shannon MacAulay, and Jamie Rattray also scored for Clarkson.

#Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs)# lasted just 5:58 in her opening start of the season, allowing three goals on nine shots. #Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale)# stopped 17-of-25 shots in 34 minutes of play, while #Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit)# played the third period, stopping nine shots. Both Stoddart and Rackleff made their collegiate debuts.

Howe stopped 9-of-10 shots over two periods to pick up the win for Clarkson. Jenna Boss played the third period, stopping three shots.

Clarkson was 4-for-9 with the man-advantage, while RIT was 0-for-2. The Golden Knights out-shot RIT, 44-13.

RIT got into penalty problems in the opening period and it cost them, as Clarkson scored three times with the man-advantage en route to a 5-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

MacAulay gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead 2:54 into the contest, as she chipped a rebound over Binnington, after the RIT goaltender made an initial save on a low shot by Brittany Styner.

Ambrose gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead with a rocket of a slap shot on the powerplay at the 5:43 mark, after RIT had several chances to clear the puck and could not. Just 15 seconds later, Plante made it 3-0, chasing Binnington from the game.

Cayley and Carly Mercer scored consecutive power-play goals 2:17 apart to make it 5-0 Clarkson before the game was 12 minutes old.

After Zach cut the Clarkson lead to 5-1, the Golden Knights responded with six unanswered goals to end the period, including four over the final 6:43, two by Ambrose to complete the hat-trick.

Clarkson now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 7-4-1. It was the first meeting between the two schools since Feb. 16, 1985. The two schools will also meet on Dec. 14 at Frontier Field in downtown Rochester as part of the "Frozen Frontier." It will be the first outdoor game for either program.

Clarkson is the highest ranked team that RIT has played to date in its short Division I history. RIT is now 0-7 all-time against nationally-ranked squads.

The 12 goals allowed are the most for RIT in game since moving to Division I, and most in a game since losing 13-0 to Providence on Feb. 4, 1995. The 11-goal deficit is also the largest in the Division I era.

Today's game marked the start of RIT's second Division I season. RIT finished 16-16-5 in its first Division I season, advancing to the College Hockey America Semifinals.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend, with a pair of road games. RIT begins the weekend at New Hampshire on Friday at 7 p.m., and play at No. 10 Northeastern on Saturday at 2 p.m.