Tickets for this weekend’s game are available at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office or by phone at (585) 475-4121. Fans can also purchase tickets atwww.rithockey.com. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, and $3 for all students and youth.
RIT (14-15-5, 5-7-5 CHA) dropped its final two games of the regular season last weekend, by scores of 4-1 and 5-2 at No. 9 Mercyhurst. Tenecia Hiller (Brampton, Ontario/Brampton Thunder) leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 25 points, and has at least a point in 11 of her last 12 games, tallying eight goals and six assists over that span. Kourtney Kunichika(Fullerton, CA/LA Selects) is right behind with 24 points on nine goals and 15 assists. Ariane Yokoyama (Van Nuys, CA/LA Selects) leads the team with 17 assists and is third with 23 points. Yokoyama’s 88 assists are just three shy of the school record, held by Sarah Dagg (St. George, Ontario/Hamilton Hawks). Senior captain Kim Schlattman (Stratford, Ontario/Cambridge Fury)is tied for the team lead with 14 goals.
RIT has outscored its opponents by a score of 91-75 this season. In net, Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) has appeared in 24 games, posting a 9-9-4 mark with a 2.03 goals against average, .925 save percentage, and five shutouts. Laura Chamberlain (Norco, CA/LA Selects) is 5-6-1 with a 2.32 goals against average and .911 save percentage. Chamberlain is also 8-1 in her career during the postseason and was the 2012 NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Most Outstanding Player.
RIT Head Coach Scott McDonald is one win shy of 150 for his career. He is 149-37-15 in his seventh season with the Tigers.
RIT was 15-11 all-time in postseason contests at the Division III level, since the sport was recognized as a NCAA Championship sport in 2001. Since McDonald took over in 2006, RIT is 11-6 in the postseason, including an 11-3 mark at Ritter Arena. The Tigers are 10-1 at home in the postseason over the last three seasons, including a 5-0 mark last year en route to winning the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship.
Penn State enters the CHA First Round series having finished the regular season with a 7-24-2 record. The Nittany Lions finished sixth in the CHA with a 1-17-2 mark. Penn State is riding a 13-game winless streak (0-12-1) and have scored just 13 goals over that stretch. Last weekend, the Nittany Lions wrapped up the regular season with 4-1 and 4-2 losses at Robert Morris. Penn State has been out-scored by its opponents, 105-67. Shannon Yoxheimer leads the team in scoring with 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists. Taylor Gross has 21 points. Nicole Paniccia has seen the bulk of time in net, recording a 6-17-2 mark with a 3.20 goals against average and .925 save percentage.
It will be the fifth, sixth, and possibly seventh meetings between the two schools this season. RIT holds a 3-0-1 edge this far. On Oct. 25, RIT rolled to a 4-1 win over the Nittany Lions. The next night, despite firing 63 shots on goal, RIT needed a late goal from Hiller to salvage a 2-2 tie. Paniccia made 61 saves in that contest for Penn State. Just two weekends ago, RIT rolled to 3-1 and 4-0 victories over the Nittany Lions at Ritter Arena. On Feb. 15, Yokoyama dished out three assists to reach the 100-career point total for the Tigers. The next night, RIT exploded for three second period goals, and Chamberlain stopped 20 shots to record her 12th career shutout.
Come out and support the Tigers in their first season as a Division I program and “Rock the Ritter”.
