SYRACUSE, NY – Host Syracuse (10-13-10, 8-5-6 CHA), scored two third period goals to seal a 4-1 victory over the RIT women's hockey team (10-18-6, 4-12-3 CHA) at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Friday night.
 
Sophomore forward Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) scored RIT's lone goal with 3:31 left in regulation. Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) and Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton) assisted on the goal, Wallace's third of the season.
 
Alysha Burris had two goals for the Orange, while Melissa Piacentini and Heather Schwarz each netted another. Allie Lacombe added two helpers for Syracuse. Jenn Gilligan made 31 saves in the win.
 
RIT goaltender Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) started in net making 18 saves on 22 shots she faced. Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) played the final 17 minutes, making 13 saves for the Tigers.
 
"Syracuse came out and wanted it more than us tonight," said RIT head coach Scott McDonald. "We need to play a lot harder and clean up our special teams if we want to tie the series tomorrow."
 
Syracuse scored a goal in each of the first two periods to take a 2-0 lead into the third. Burriss scored 6:18 to start into the game to start the scoring for the Orange. Her second goal was on a man-advantage to open the final period.
 
Syracuse outshot RIT 35-32, while RIT was 0-for-6 on the man-advantage and Syracuse was 2-for-5.
 
Syracuse leads the all-time series between the two schools, 7-4-1, including 2-1 this season. Syracuse defeated RIT 4-2 on Dec. 6 where Burris had a hat trick for the Orange and Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) and Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) each netted a goal. On Jan. 23, Emilee Bullied scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as RIT pulled out the dramatic 4-3 win.
 
The two teams will conclude the regular season on Saturday back at the Gene Polisseni Center at 3:05 p.m.
 
The Tigers will honor the RIT Class of 2015 for Senior Day tomorrow before the game. This group has led RIT to an excellent 74-50-14 record in four years, making history by winning RIT's first NCAA title in any women's sport as freshmen in 2012.  That year, RIT won a Division III record 28 games. Last season, the group led RIT to its first College Hockey America Championship in just its second season as a Division I program.