BUFFALO, NY – The RIT women's hockey team (4-28-3) had its 2017-18 season come to an end, falling to No. 3 seed Syracuse University (13-20-2), 5-1 in the first round of the College Hockey America Tournament from HARBORCENTER on Thursday afternoon.

Syracuse's Brooke Avery scored a hat-trick, while linemate Alysha Burriss had three assists. Savannah Rennie and Lindsay Eastwood also scored for the Orange, who will move on to play No. 2 seed Mercyhurst University in the second semifinal on Friday, March 2 at 4 p.m. Goaltender Abbey Miller stopped 25 shots.

Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) scored for the Tigers. In goal, Jenna de Jonge (Abbotsford, British Columbia/George Elliot) earned the start, stopping 10 of 13 shots in the opening period. Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) played the final two periods, making 13 saves.

Syracuse out-shot RIT, 28-26, RIT was 0-for-7 on the power-play, while Syracuse was 0-for-3. The Orange tallied a shorthanded goal.

"We got off to a slow start and that was the difference," said Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. "I thought we played much better as the game wore on. Unfortunately, we didn't bury our chances and Syracuse did."

The Orange opened the scoring just 1:05 in, as Avery took a feed from Burris in front and roofed a shot just under the crossbar for her 12th goal of the season. Syracuse added to its lead just before the midway point of the period, as Rennie was all alone at the side of the net to slam in a loose puck after a shot by Jessica DiGirolamo deflected off of Emma Polaski.

Logan Land (Turkey Point, Ontario/Holy Trinity Catholic) had a great chance to cut into the Syracuse lead, firing a hard backhander from the slot that Miller turned aside with her blocker. Cornine was denied from the slot off a face-off win moments later.

Syracuse would make it 3-0 with just over five minutes left in the period, as Avery struck again, this time shorthanded, tapping a in a feed from Burriss on a 2-on-1 rush for her second of the game and 13th goal of the year.

Avery completed the hat-trick just 57 seconds into the second period, sliding in a loose puck from the doorstep past Lanteigne to make it 4-0 Orange.

Cornine would get RIT on the board with her team-best 11th goal of the season, 7:56 into the second, cutting the Syracuse lead to 4-1. Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) kept the puck in low and found Brittney Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes). Gout sent pass in front that went off an Orange player right to Cornine, who slammed in a slot from the slot.

The goal seemed to energize the Tigers, as they carried play for the rest of the period, generating several good chances. Overall, RIT out-shot Syracuse, 13-7 in the period.

Syracuse would score a big insurance goal with 11:19 left in regulation, as Eastwood hammered a slap shot through traffic on the power-play past a screened Lanteigne for her fourth goal of the season.

Tori Haywood (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary's Catholic) had a great chance for the Tigers with two minutes left, but fired it off the left post and out. Gout was stopped by Miller on a partial breakaway before chopped down to create a RIT power-play.

Since McDonald took over in 2006, RIT is 22-12 in the postseason, including a 10-5 mark at the Division I level. The Tigers are now 7-3 all-time in the CHA First Round. The Tigers finished their sixth season as a Division I program and also as a member of College Hockey America. RIT won back-to-back CHA Championships in 2014 and 2015.

Syracuse leads the all-time series between the two schools, 20-7-2.

Today marked the final collegiate games for seniors Lauren Carroll (Carlisle, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) and Darcy Henderson (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas).