Women's Hockey | 2/3/2015 7:55:00 AM
Click here for RIT Game Notes --- Click here for Mercyhurst Game Notes
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women's hockey team is back in action this weekend, as College Hockey America leader Mercyhurst comes to town for a pair of games. Friday's game from the Gene Polisseni Center starts at 7:05 p.m., while Saturday's starts at 3:05 p.m.
On Saturday, the Tigers will honor fifth-year student manager Joe Vicario, better known as "Part Time Joe". RIT will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds going to the Testicular Cancer Foundation of Western New York, which Vicario founded and the Lipson Cancer Center at Rochester General Hospital through the RIT United Way Foundation. Visit http://www.tcafofwny.org/ for more information.
Vicario, who suffers from Goldenhar Syndrome and is a testicular cancer survivor, is imploring men to "Check Your Pucks" which will also be the theme on Saturday as part of College Hockey America's "Skate for the Cure" initiative. Both RIT hockey teams, in addition to ZETA Tau Alpha sorority, RGH, and RIT United Way will be a part of this unforgettable evening. Fans will be able to bid on the jerseys via silent auction in the arena and through social media monitored by members of ZETA Tau Alpha. Bidding will end at the start of the third period of the men's game against Niagara, which begins at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
Bids will be able to be placed on the jerseys starting when the arena doors open for the women's game Saturday at approximately 2 p.m., Both the men's and women's jerseys will be auctioned off at the same time. The auction will temporarily close at the drop of the puck in the third period of the women's game and then re-open at doors open for men's game at 5:30 p.m.
Bidders leading the auction at close of the women's game will be given the opportunity to put a max bid down which anytime outbid, will increase their bid by $10 or select a "Buy it Now" option for $375. Bidders will also be able to utilize the "Buy it now" feature via social media outlets.
The auction will officially close at the drop of the puck to start the third period during the men's game where all winners will be contacted. Women's jerseys will be able to be picked up on the spot. Men's jerseys can be picked up at the conclusion of the game if desired or they can be laundered and be ready approximately 45 minutes after the final horn or as early as Monday, Feb. 9.
RIT plays its final six games against CHA opponents to end the regular season. The Tigers are currently sixth in the CHA standings with 9 points. If the season ended today, RIT would travel to Robert Morris for a best-of-three first round series from Feb. 27 to March 1.
The Tigers (10-15-3, 4-9-1 CHA) split a pair of games last weekend at league foe Lindenwood, winning 5-4 in overtime on Friday, while falling 1-0 on Saturday. On Friday, RIT rallied from a 3-0 first period deficit.
Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) scored her 66th career goal and became the 13th player in the history of RIT women's hockey to record 100 career points. That goal came 2:25 into overtime.
Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) scored her first collegiate goal and added two assists, while
Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy),
Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers), and
Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) also scored. In goal,
Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) came on in relief and made 15 saves to pick up the win. The next day, RIT mustered just 16 shots, as Lindenwood scored the lone goal just 23 seconds into the game. Stoddart made 20 saves for RIT.
Brown leads the Tigers in scoring with 15 points on nine goals and six assists.
Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) and
Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton) have a team-best eight assists. In goal,
Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) is among the national leaders with a 1.65 goals against average and .938 save percentage.
Mercyhurst enters the weekend Friday with a 18-7-3 overall record and 9-4-1 mark in league play. The Lakers hold a one-point lead over Penn State for first place in the CHA standings. Last weekend, the Lakers split against league foe Robert Morris, winning 2-1 in overtime on Friday, while falling 3-2 on Saturday. Emily Janiga leads the team in scoring with 33 points on 20 goals and 13 assists, while Sarah Robello has a team-high 15 assists. The Lakers are outscoring their opponents, 73-47 this season. In net, Amanda Makela has played in all 28 games and is 18-7-3 with a 1.43 goals against average and .932 save percentage.
Mercyhurst won the first two meetings of the season on home ice by identical 4-1 scores on Nov. 21-22. It is 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, 9-2. RIT went 2-3 against the Lakers last season.
Both games will be shown on Time Warner Cable Sports (TWCS) Channel 98 with Gene Battaglia and former Mark Engel brining you all the action from the Gene Polisseni Center on Friday. Battaglia and John DiTullio are on the call Saturday. The game will also broadcast online at
witr.rit.edu and on
America One.
Live stats are also available as well.
Come out and support your Tigers in their first season at the Gene Polisseni Center, as they look to defend their College Hockey America title.
