COLCHESTER, VT - The RIT women's hockey team hits the road for a pair of non-conference games at Saint Michael's Friday and Saturday (Dec. 29-30).

Recap (RIT v. Syracuse)
RIT split a home-and-home series against Syracuse, winning 4-1 in Syracuse, Friday and losing 3-1 the following day at home.

Junior forward Kylie Aquaro's power play goal 16:58 into the second period proved to be the game-winner in Friday's win. Seniors Chloe McNeil and Lindsay Maloney and junior forward Athena Vasdani each scored, while junior defensewoman Kyla Bear had two assists. Sophomore goalie Sophia Bellina made 15 of her 32 saves in the third period to earn her sixth win of the season.

Senior defensewoman Mia Tsilemos scored her first collegiate goal in the Tigers 3-1 loss, Saturday. Tsilemos scored 5:32 into the third period to cut the deficit to 3-1. Junior goalie Sarah Coe made 21 saves in net.

About RIT
RIT is the top defensive team in the CHA, allowing 2.35 goals per game, and second killing off 46-of-58 penalties (79.3%). The Tigers lead the league with 272 blocked shots, averaging 16.0 per contest, and fourth in the league averaging 2.65 goals per game.
 
Roland and Aquaro are tied for first on the team with 13 points apiece. Roland is tied for sixth in the CHA with seven goals, while Aquaro is tied for eighth in the league with nine assists. First-year forward Addie Alvarez is third on the team in scoring with 10 points (4g, 6a) and sophomore forward Jaidan Fahrny is fourth with nine points (6g, 3a).   
 
Bellina leads the CHA with a 1.72 goals against average and a .945 save percentage, and is seventh averaging 23.0 saves per game. Coe is tied for third in the league with a 2.67 GAA and solo third with a .918 save percentage, averaging 27.64 saves per contest.
 
Maloney is third in the league winning 150 face offs and fourth winning 56.0 percent of her draws. Junior forward Megan McCormick is sixth in the league winning 53.5 percent of her draws. First-year defensewoman Emma Pickering is tied for first in the CHA with 40 blocked shots. Tsilemos is tied for third with 33and McCormick is tied for sixth with 31 blocks. Tsilemos and junior defensewoman Bailey Kehl are tied for sixth in the CHA with a +6.
 
National Rankings
RIT is tied for 14th in Division I in scoring defense, allowing 2.35 goals per game. The Tigers are 16^th nationally with 511 team saves and 24th in Division I with 69 assists and 45 goals.
 
Bellina is seventh in Division I with a .857 winning percentage, ninth with a .945 save percentage and 14th with a 1.71 goals against average.

About Saint Michael's
Saint Michael's lost a pair of home games to Long Island University, by scores of 3-1 Dec. 8-9. Senior Mary Leys scored and sophomore goalie Annika Lavender made 34 saves in the Purple Knight's loss Friday. Lavender made 45 stops, while junior Grace Canterbury scored in Saturday's loss.

Saint Michael's average 1.20 goals per game, allowing 4.5 goals per contest. The Purple Knights are 7-of-61 (11.5%) on the power play, while killing off 41-of-54 (75.9%) of its penalties.
 
Senior Mikaela Langbacka leads Saint Michael's in scoring with seven points on four goals and three assists. Leys is second with six points and leads the Purple Knights with four assists. Sophomore Elisabeth Gerebi and Lauren Fisher, junior Angelina Ruiz, and senior Jace Zapata are tied for third on the team with four points apiece.
 
Lavender has seen the majority of the minutes in net for Saint Michael's, making 12 starts. She enters the weekend with a 3.86 goals against average, a .912 save percentage, averaging 36.6 saves per game.
 
RIT v. Saint Michael's
RIT is 14-0-0 all time against Saint Michaels, including a pair of wins last season. The Tigers swept the Purple Knights 8-0 and 9-0 in a pair of games at the Gene Polisseni Center, last season. Maloney scored two goals, while Vasdani and sophomore forward Lexi Sung each had two assists in game one, while Aquaro had a career-high five points and four assists in Saturday's victory.