Box Score EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – RIT freshman forward Athena Vasdani scored the Tigers' first goal and then added a pair of assists to stake RIT to a 3-1 lead, but a third-period LIU rally gave the Sharks a 4-3 win, Friday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• LIU got on the board first on a short-handed goal after sophomore forward Sarah Rourke blocked a shot from the right point and took the puck down the left boards before unleashing a shot that found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead 13:14 into the first period.
• The Tigers tied the game at 1-1 on the same power play 77 seconds later. Sophomore forward Lindsay Maloney started the play deep in the Tigers' left end. After deking around a Shark defender, Maloney found freshman Kylie Aquaro in stride near the red line on the right side. Aquaro took three defenders with her toward the net before getting away a backhand shot that was stirred to the right corner, where Vasdani scored from after firing the puck toward the net from behind the goal line with 5:29 left in the first.
• Senior forward Jordan Marchese gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead seconds after a RIT power play expired and 8:41 into the second period. The senior captain started the play by deflecting a Shark attempt to clear the zone shorthanded. The deflected puck was picked up at the Sharks blueline by Maloney, who timed her entrance back into the Sharks zone perfectly after waiting for three teammates to clear the zone. Maloney found Aquaro on the right side on a cross-ice pass that followed with a three-way passing play between Aquaro, Vasdani and Marchese before Marchese unleashed a rocket from the right faceoff dot.
• The Tigers converted their second power-play goal of the day for a 3-1 lead when Maloney streaked into the Sharks zone on the left side and beat the LIU goaltender through the legs. Kyla Bear started the play from the Tigers' end and found Vasdani, who spun around while evading a defender to deliver a soft backhand pass from center ice to Maloney in stride. The sophomore converted from the left circle while on her knees after evading a Shark defender with 14:45 gone in the middle frame.
• The Sharks pulled within a goal at 3-2 with 11:08 left in the third period on a rebound goal after junior forward Stella Scott gained the RIT zone and circled in deep on the left side. Her initial shot rebounded to the crease where two Shark attackers battled for a shot.
• LIU scored the final two goals of the game in an eight-second span during the final 18 seconds of regulation play. The first came with an extra attacker after a LIU deflected shot from in deep on the right side came out to an open attacker on the left side of an unattended net. The Sharks won the ensuing faceoff and immediately entered the RIT zone from the left side. Junior forward Carrigan Umpherville's attempt to take the puck to the net was stopped, but during that attempt the puck deflected off her skate and found its way to the stick of Rourke in front of the RIT goal for the game winner.

GAME NOTES

• Vasdani registered a career high three-point game and her two assists gave her the team lead in that category with five.
• Maloney's goal gave her sole possession of the team scoring lead with nine points.
• Aquaro registered her first multi-point game with a pair of assists.
• LIU held a 38-24 edge in shots with Maloney and Davies recording five shots on net each.
• The Sharks finished with a 26-24 edge in face-off wins.
• RIT is 3-0 in its last January-opening games with the last coming Jan. 6 in a 1-0 CHA victory at Mercyhurst.

WHAT'S NEXT
RIT completes its road weekend series against LIU with a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 1.