ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women's hockey team (5-20-2, 3-8-2 College Hockey America) scored a season-high five goals, rolling to a 5-0 win over visiting Lindenwood University (5-17-2, 3-8-2 College Hockey America) at Gene Polisseni Center on Friday afternoon.

Sophomore goaltender Jenna de Jonge (Abbotsford, British Columbia/George Elliot) earned her first collegiate shutout, stopping all 26 shots she faced. She made nine saves in the first period, 10 in the second, and seven in the third to pick up her second win of the season.

The defensive pairing of senior captain Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) and sophomore Reagan Rust (Southaven, MS/Moon Area) were dominant in today's win. Both players dished out three assists and were plus-4, as Thurston was named the game's first star and Rust, the number two star.

Senior forward Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) continued her scoring tear, with a goal and an assist. She now has four multiple-point effort in the last five games. Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard), RIT's leading scorer, also added a goal anf an assist. Kandice Sheriff (Brampton, Ontario), Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton), and Madison Farrand (Potomac, MD/Winston Churchill) also scored for the Tigers, who are 2-2-1 in the 2017 calendar year.
Lindenwood out-shot RIT, 26-22. Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power-play.

"I thought it was a total team effort today," said Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. "We got off to a great start and were able to roll all four lines and our defense did a very good job getting in passing lanes and joining the rush when needed. Jenna (deJonge) was there to make the big saves when we needed them."

Carrie Atkinson led the Lady Lions with five shots on goal. Jolene deBruyn made 15 saves in the loss for Lindenwood. Sarah McGall played the final 7:25, stopping two shots.

The Tigers came out flying in the opening period and set a Division I team record by scoring two goals just 13 seconds apart right before the midway point of the period to take a 2-0 lead. That set a team record for fastest two goals scored at the Division I level.

With 10:31 left in the period, Sheriff took a feed from Wallace right inside the Lindenwood blue line, made a great move to cut to the middle and fired a rocket of a wrist shot over the glove of deBruyn and off the crossbar and in for her first goal of the season. Christa Vuglar (Crystal Lake, IL/Chicago Mission) also assisted on the goal for her first point of the season.

Just 13 seconds later, right off the ensuing faceoff at center ice, RIT gained possession with Thurston getting a pass to Rust. Rust would send a pass to Wallace, who sped into the Lindenwood zone and from nearly the same spot as Sheriff, ripped a hard shot to nearly the same spot, over the glove of deBruyn and off the crossbar and in for her team-leading seventh goal of the season, making it 2-0 RIT.

The Tigers would add to their lead in the second period, despite Lindenwood holding a 10-5 edge in shots on goal during the frame.

de Jonge was called upon to make a handful of big saves through traffic on a Lindenwood power-play early in the period. Her best save of the game came with six minutes left in the period, as she robbed Holly Dietzler in front on a stuff in attempt, keeping the score 2-0.

Stone would give RIT a 3-0 lead with her second goal in as many games and third of the season with 3:05 left in the period, as she slammed home a rebound in front after the initial shot by Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) went off the right post and off, deflecting off Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby College)'s stick in front before landing in front. Stone was wide open and had a wide open net for the goal.

Stone would nearly give RIT a 4-0 lead a minute later, firing a shot from the slot past deBruyn but off the left post and out.

Lindenwood would pressure early in the third period, as deJonge had to make a big save on Cierra Paisley and moments later, Paisley would hit the post.

The Tigers would put the game out of reach with 12:54 left, as Cornine one-timed a perfect diagonal slap pass from Rust for her eighth goal of the season, making it a 4-0 game.

Thurston and Rust would team up again to set up Farrand and make it 5-0 Tigers. Rust fired a long outlet pass that went off a Lady Lions defender right to Farrand in the neutral zone, setting up a 2-on-1 with her and Darcy Henderson (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas). Farrand fired a shot from the slot past deBruyn for her second goal in as many games.

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 8-6-5. Today's contest was the third of four meetings between the two schools this season, with RIT holding a 2-1 edge. The two teams split a pair of games earlier in the season at Lindenwood, with the Lady Lions winning 2-0 on Nov. 18 and RIT recording a 2-1 win the following day.

McDonald is now one win shy of 200 for his career at the university.

RIT and Lindenwood complete their regular season series on Saturday from the Gene Polisseni Center at 2:05 p.m.