UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Despite a wild third-period rally by the RIT women's hockey team, the Tigers couldn't make up the three-goal deficit, falling 3-2 to Penn State (12-18-6) in game two of the College Hockey America First Round series on Saturday afternoon. RIT finishes the 2015-16 season with an 8-27-1 record.
 
Facing a 3-0 hole entering the third period, RIT staged a ferocious comeback with the season on the line. With 2:16 elapsed in the period, Reagan Rust (Southaven, MS/Moon Area) fired a shot from just inside the faceoff circle, which Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) deflected towards the net. Penn State goaltender Hanna Ehresmann deflected the shot, but Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) put herself in excellent position, pounding in the rebound into the open net from the doorstep, to put the Tigers on the board.
 
Midway through the period, with the Tigers on the power play, Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) fired a shot from the point, that Darcy Henderson (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) instinctively redirected into the net, to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
 
In the final minutes, the Tigers had chances to tie the game, but came up just short.  With under two minutes left, and Jenna de Jonge (Abbotsford, British Columbia/George Elliot) pulled for the extra attacker, Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby Collegiate) tried to fire the puck in net from outside the faceoff circle, but the shot was blocked by a diving Micayla Catanzariti. About 30 seconds later, Rust fired a shot from the top of the faceoff circle, through a crowd, the puck missing the open net by mere inches.
 
"We can take it either way," said Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. "We fought hard in the third period showing some guts and a high compete level, but we put ourselves in that situation; we could have played like that the entire game. Overall we didn't play bad, but the urgency wasn't there at critical times, and [Penn State] scored some timely goals."
 
With the loss, RIT has been eliminated in the first round of the CHA for the first time since the move up to the Division I ranks in 2012-13. Under McDonald's tutelage, which spans 10 seasons, this is the first time the Tigers have fallen in the first round of any postseason tournament. RIT is 6-2 all-time in first round contests at the Division I level.
 
Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) got the start in net for the Tigers, stopping 16 shots in 34:36 of game time. de Jonge stopped all nine shots she faced in 23:09 of ice time. The Tigers converted on one of its two power play chances, and held Penn State to 0-4 with the man advantage.
 
Laura Bowman, Shannon Yoxheimer, and Amy Petersen each tallied a goal for the Nittany Lions. Ehresmann stopped 24 shots in the victory, as Penn State has advanced to the CHA semifinals in consecutive seasons.
 
RIT holds a 12-8-2 all-time edge on Penn State. RIT eliminated Penn State in the first round of the 2013 and 2014 CHA Tournament, both at Ritter Arena. Penn State was 5-1 against the Tigers in 2015-16, outscoring RIT 11-7 in the six games. Four of the six games were decided by a single goal.
 
The Nittany Lions struck first, scoring on their first shot of the game, after RIT controlled the puck in the Penn State end for the first two minutes. Peterson, skating along the boards on the Penn State rush, found Bowman skating up the middle, as she fired a low shot that beat Rackleff.
 
Rackleff turned it around, and made a pair of solid saves later in the period to keep the Tigers in the game. Rackleff first turned away consecutive Yoxheimer attempts at goal. Yoxheimer took her first shot from the faceoff circle, which Rackleff kicked away. As the puck moved towards towards Yoxheimer, she immediately took another shot, and Rackleff denied Yoxheimer once again.
 
The second period saw the Tigers with an early power play chance, but was turned away by the Penn State penalty-killing unit after a new shots on net. Midway through the second period, Penn State got its second goal off a RIT turnover. Yoxheimer stole the puck at center ice, and then made an individual effort towards the net, finishing from inside the faceoff circle.
 
Later on in the period, Penn State would add what turned out to be the insurance goal. RIT valiantly fought off a Penn State power play, but the puck was still in the defensive zone. Bella Sutton fired a shot that Rackleff turned aside, but right into the stick of Petersen, who knocked in the ensuing rebound, making it 3-0.
 
RIT would out-shoot Penn State 11-4 during the third period rally, but could not get the tying goal.
 
"It's a tough way to end a year," said McDonald. "There's no silver lining to that one, but next year we need to come into training camp with some motivation, and step up our game in all facets."