ERIE, PA – The RIT women's hockey team (4-16-3, 1-7-0 CHA) fell to College Hockey America foe Mercyhurst University (9-12-2, 5-2-1 CHA) by a score of 7-2 in its first contest of the 2018 calendar year from the Mercyhurst Ice Center Friday afternoon.

RIT led 2-1 after one period before the Lakers scored three goals in both the second and third periods. Shots were 50-10 in favor of Mercyhurst. RIT was 0-for-2 on the power-play while Mercyhurst was 1-for-3.

Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) and Brittney Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes) scored first period goals for RIT. Gout added an assist for a multiple-point game. In net, Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) got the start, stopping 24 of 29 over the first 42:05. Jenna de Jonge (Abbotsford, British Columbia/George Elliot) played the final 17:55, making 19 saves on 21 shots.

Seven different Lakers scored goals. Sarah Hine, Brooke Hartwick and Maggie Knott tallied two points apiece. Kennedy Blair recorded the win in net for Mercyhurst with eight saves.
 
The Tigers got on the board early when Cornine scored just 36 seconds into the first period off assists from Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) and Gout, putting RIT up 1-0 over Mercyhurst.
 
Midway through the first period, Hartwick scored to tie the game at 1-1. With under three minutes to go in the first period RIT reclaimed the lead, 2-1 off a goal from Gout. She ripped a wicked wrist shot just under the crossbar and in for her third goal of the year. RIT went into the first intermission leading Mercyhurst 2-1.
 
Mercyhurst dominated the second period scoring three times and out-shooting RIT 21-2 to take a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. Just under five minutes into the second, Emma Nuutinen scored off a pass from Sarah Hine and Vilma Tanskanen to tie it 2-2
 
With just over five minutes left in the second, Jennifer Macaskill scored with assists going to from Hartwick and Hine to give the Lakers their first lead of the game, 3-2. After a penalty was called on RIT for high sticking, Summer-Rae Dobson scored on the power-play to increase their lead to 4-2.  
 
Knot scored an unassisted goal to expand the Lakers lead to 5-2 early in the third period. Just 20 seconds later Sam Isbell scored off a pass from Knott to make it 6-2. Rachel Marmen to close out the scoring.
 
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series between the two schools 19-4-0.
 
RIT returns to the Mercyhurst Ice Arena Saturday Jan. 12 for day two of the series with Mercyhurst at 2 p.m. The Tigers then return home Jan 19-20 for a series with Robert Morris.