ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women’s hockey team (1-1-1) dropped its first game of the 2017-18 season, falling to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1-4-0), 3-1 in the home opener from the Gene Polisseni Center Friday afternoon.
Shayna Tomlinson had a goal and an assist to lead the Engineers, while Makenna Thomas and Aly Tremblay also scored. Lovisa Sealander made 20 saves in the win, including all 11 shots she faced in the third period.
Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) scored RIT’s lone goal midway through the first period. Kandice Sheriff (Brampton, Ontario/) extended her point-scoring streak to three games with an assist, while Brittney Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes) also had an assist. Jessi O’Leary (Woodstock, New Brunswick/Athol Murray) took the loss in net, stopping 20 shots.
Rensselaer out-shot RIT, 23-21. The Engineers were 1-for-5 on the power-play, while RIT was 0-for-4.
“Overall, I thought we moved the puck well and had good chances,” said Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. “We just need to generate more in the way of quality shots. I thought both teams played with good intensity.”
RIT opened the scoring just past the halfway mark of the period and one second after a power-play ended, as Cornine buried a rebound off a shot from Brittney Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes) for her first goal of the season. Kandice Sheriff (Brampton, Ontario/) carried the puck into the zone and made a nifty move before finding Gout at the right circle. Gout’s low shot was stopped by Sealander, but the rebound kicked right to Cornine who had the open net for the goal.
Just 1:07 later, Thomas rifled in a shot off a clean face-off win by Tomlinson that pin-balled off a RIT defender for her first goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1.
Rensselaer would grab the lead with 2:49 left in the period, as Tomlinson took a feed from Sabrina Repaci in the slot and beat O’Leary between the legs for her first goal of the year.
Neither team scored in the second period despite great chances on both ends.
RIT came out and controlled play in the Rensselaer zone for long stretches of play over the opening five minutes of play, but could not get many pucks through to Sealander. Her best save came later in the period, as she stuck the left glove out to snag a hard shot by Kaelyn Johnson (Toronto, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) in the slot.
O’Leary made a handful of big saves in the period to keep it 2-1. RIT’s penalty-killing unit had to kill off three Rensselaer power-plays in the period.
RIT came out and pounded the net in the third period, attempting 32 shots with 11 on goal, but could not solve Sealander and the Engineers defense.
Tremblay made it 3-1 Rensselaer, 6:32 into the period as she took the puck off a Tiger defender’s stick in front a fired a shot past O’Leary.
RIT would respond with great pressure the rest of the way, but could not get the big goal. Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) fired a slap shot from the point late in the third period that had Sealander beat, but it clanged off the crossbar and out.
The Tigers are now 2-2-0 in home openers at the Gene Polisseni Center. RIT moved into the building prior to the 2014-15 season.
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 15-11-4.
This weekend marks the stretch of six straight home games to close out October for the Tigers. RIT hosts Yale University for a pair of games on Oct. 20-21 and opens league play with two contests against Lindenwood on Oct. 27-28.
RIT and Rensselaer complete their weekend series tomorrow from the Polisseni Center at 1 p.m.
