ERIE, PA – Host Mercyhurst (11-2-1, 4-1-0 CHA), ranked No. 8 in the USCHO.com Division I women's hockey poll, scored three second period goals in a span of 8:49 to snap a scoreless tie and defeat the RIT women's hockey team (6-6-3, 1-3-1 CHA), 4-1 at Mercyhurst Ice Center on Friday afternoon.
 
Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) scored RIT's lone goal, with 5:50 to play in regulation on a 5-on-3 power-play to cut the Lakers lead to 3-1. Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton) and Haley Northcote (Cumberland, Ontario/Minnesota State) assisted on the goal, Brown's fifth of the season.
 
Emily Janiga, Caroline Luczak, and Jenna Dingeldein had a goal and an assist apiece for the Lakers, while Jillian Skinner added an empty net goal. In net, Amanda Makela needed to make just 12 saves.
 
RIT goaltender Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) stopped 20-of-23 shots, as Mercyhurst out-shot RIT, 24-13. The Lakers were 2-for-4 with the power-play, while RIT was 1-for-7.
 
The 13 shots on goal tied a Division I low for the Tigers. They also recorded 13 shots at Clarkson on Sept. 28, 2013.
 
"Our team did not compete today and that's on me as the head coach," said RIT head coach Scott McDonald. "We were out-coached the entire game. It starts and ends with me. I have to have this team prepared a lot better when facing a team like Mercyhurst."
 
After a scoreless first period, Mercyhurst exploded for three goals over the final half of the second period to go up 3-0 after 40 minutes of play.
 
Janiga opened the scoring at the 10:40 mark, coming in on a 2-on-1 after RIT had intense pressure in the Lakers zone the minute prior. Dingeldein slammed in a rebound on a power-play 2:58 later and Luczak fired a blast home on a power-play with 31 seconds left in the second period, while Mercyhurst had a 5-on-3 advantage.

Today's game was a rematch of the 2014 CHA Championship won by RIT in double overtime, 2-1, behind a career-high 62 saves from Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs). Mercyhurst leads the all-time series between the two schools, 8-2. RIT went 2-3 against the Lakers last season.
 
The two teams will conclude the weekend series on Saturday from the Mercyhurst Ice Center at 2 p.m. RIT and Mercyhurst will meet at the Gene Polisseni Center on Feb. 6-7. 2015.