ROCHESTER, NY – Sam Isbell would score the game-winning goal 2:33 into the third period, lifting visiting Mercyhurst University (14-17-2, 10-8-1 CHA) to a 3-2 win over the RIT women's hockey team (6-25-2, 4-13-2 CHA) at the Gene Polisseni Center Friday night.
 
With the game tied 2-2 early in the third period, Isbell fired a shot from the right point off a RIT skate in front and in for her seventh goal of the year.
 
RIT would press on after and receive a handful of chances. Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) had RIT's best chance with 13 minutes left, as she fired a shot from the left circle on the rush off the crossbar and out.
 
The Tigers would get a power-play with just over seven minutes left, but could not generate many scoring chances.
 
Isbell would score once and add an assist, while Megan Whiddon added two assists. Celine Frappier and Taylor Accursi also scored for the Lakers. Jessica Convery made 20 saves in the win, as the Lakers clinch third place in the CHA standings.
 
Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) and Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) scored for the Tigers, while Reagan Rust (Southaven, MS/Moon Area) dished out a pair of assists. Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) and Madison Farrand (Potomac, MD/Winston Churchill) also had an assist apiece. Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) made 33 saves in the loss.
 
Mercyhurst held a 36-22 edge in shots. The Lakers were 0-for-7 on the power-play, while RIT was 0-for-6. RIT has killed off 16 straight penalties dating back to last weekend.
 
"I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty well, but could not generate anything on the power-play and that was the difference," said Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Scott McDonald.
 
Both teams scored once in the opening period, as Mercyhurst held a 12-7 edge in shots. RIT would have four power-plays, but failed to convert.
 
The Lakers would get on the board first, 6:01 into the contest, as Frappier would jam home a rebound in front for her second goal of the season after Lanteigne made the initial save on a shot by Blasen.
 
RIT would answer at the 12:40 mark, as Clayton deftly redirected a point shot from Rust past Convery off the post and in for her fourth goal of the season. Thurston also assisted on the goal.
 
Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) would just miss giving RIT the lead moments later, as her hard wrist shot from the slot on a rush eluded Convery but went off the right post and out.
 
Both teams traded second period goals, as the game was tied 2-2 after 40 minutes of play.
 
Accursi would give the Lakers a 2-1 lead just 53 seconds into the period, as a shot by Brooke Hartwick on a 3-on-2 rush was stopped by Lanteigne. Accursi crashed the net and had the rebound bounce off her and in for the goal.
 
Lanteigne would come up with some big saves during the period, as RIT had to kill off four Mercyhurst power-plays.
 
Wallace would tie the game at 2-2 with her eighth goal of the season with 7:49 left in the period. Farrand would start the play in the RIT zone with a pass to Wallace. Wallace would feed a pass to Rust in the neutral zone and the RIT defenseman came in with a full head of steam. Rust would cut to the net and have the puck tipped right to Wallace, who was following up. Wallace would fire a wrist shot from in close off Convery and in.
 
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series between the two schools, 17-4. The two teams split a weekend series earlier in the season at Mercyhurst on Jan. 13-14, with the Lakers winning game one, 5-2 and RIT taking game two, 4-0. Wallace had four points in that series, while Tori Haywood (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary's Catholic) added three. Lanteigne made 37 saves in the 4-0 shutout win.
 
RIT and Mercyhurst will wrap up the regular season on Saturday afternoon from the Gene Polisseni Center at 2:05 p.m. Before the game, RIT will honor seniors Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School), Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby College), Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale), Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton), Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic), and Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate).