ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT (0-1-0) women's hockey team was defeated 3-1 by the University of Vermont (1-0-0) Friday evening in the 2019-20 season-opener from the Gene Polisseni Center.

Shots were 37-17 in favor of Vermont. The Tigers went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Catamounts went 1-for-4 with the man advantage. 

"It was a lot of firsts for many of our players tonight," said Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Chad Davis. "We have to come out tomorrow and play hard for 60 minutes."

Emily Stemple (Saginaw, MI/Detroit Honeybaked) tallied her first collegiate goal for RIT, while Taylor Baker (Toronto, Ontario/North Toronto Collegiate Institute) added an assist. Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) was outstanding in net for RIT, making 34 saves.

Corinne McCool led Vermont with a goal and an assist. Eve-Audrey Picard and Val Caldwell each scored a goal, and Sini Karjalainen, Ali O'Leary, Theresa Schafzahl, Sara Levesque and Alex Gray each had an assist. Blanka Skodova made 12 saves in net for the Catamounts.

Both goaltenders were sharp in the first period, including a big stop from Lanteigne late in the period. Eve-Audrey Picard drove to the net and fired a shot from close range that Lanteigne saved with her pad. Shots were 10-7 Vermont in the period.

RIT's had a good scoring chance came early in the first period. Reaghan Pietrowski (Curtice, OH/Detroit Honeybaked) fired a shot from the circle that Skodova saved. The rebound came out front and Rachel Goff (Naperville, IL/Chicago Mission) had a chance sail just wide of the net.

The Tigers took the lead at 13:45 of the second period on Stemple's goal. Taylor Baker (Toronto, Ontario/North Toronto Collegiate Institute) fired a shot in from the point that Skodova saved. The rebound came out front and Stemple, who was driving to the net, poked home the rebound.

Vermont answered right back with a power play goal at 14:34 from Caldwell. Taylor and Karjalainen had the assists on the play. 

The Catamounts took a 2-1 on a McCool goal 1:08 into the third period. Ali O'Leary sent a pass across the RIT crease that McCool one-timed passed Lanteigne. Vermont made it 3-1 on a Picard goal on assists from Sara Levesque and Alex Gray at 7:14.

 RIT and Vermont will play again tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Gene Polisseni Center.