Photo courtesy RIT
ROCHESTER, NY – Head Coach Scott McDonald and the RIT women’s hockey team announced its captains for the 2013-14 season. Juniors Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) and Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) will serve as captains, while senior Melissa Bromley (Aurora, Ontario/Aurora Panthers) and junior Morgan Scoyne (Drumbo, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) will serve as assistant captains. RIT enters its second season as a Division I program.
During my time at RIT, we’ve been fortunate to have a long line of strong leadership for our team captains,” said RIT Head Coach Scott McDonald, who recently completed his seventh season behind the bench in 2012-13. “These next four student-athletes will be no exception. All have shown that they have the character on and off the ice to lead our program in the right direction. With the graduation of three multi-year captains and a large senior class, the role of team captain has been a vital position to establish during spring training.”
Brown, a forward, enjoyed a tremendous sophomore season with nine goals and 15 points, while playing at a plus-11. Brown was named the RIT Female Athlete of the Week and College Hockey America Player of the Week on Dec. 17. She recorded season-high totals of two goals and three assists in a 5-1 win over Lindenwood on Dec. 15. As a freshman in 2011-12, Brown scored the game-winning, go-ahead goal in the Division III National Championship game against Norwich.
Grigg, who has shuttled between forward and defense in her first two seasons with RIT, finished the 2012-13 season with 14 points on two goals and 12 assists. She is a tremendous two-way player, who can be counted on in any situation, from the power-play, even strength, and penalty killing units. Grigg recorded a season-high three points in a win over Sacred Heart on Jan. 19 and scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Robert Morris on Jan. 4.
Bromley, a 5-foot-11 defenseman, recorded a plus-16 in 34 games to go along with six points during the 2012-13 season. Bromley scored her lone goal of the season on Dec. 8 at Ohio State and added five assists. She used her size and speed to emerge as a strong stay at home defender, and will be looked upon to play an even greater role in 2013-14
Scoyne, a defenseman who stands 5-foot-8, tallied 10 points in 37 games, while playing hard nosed defense. She scored two goals in 2012-13, including the game winner in a 3-0 win over Yale at Blue Cross Arena. She is expected to step in on RIT’s top defensive unit in 2013-14.
All four have been able to step up and we believe they will excel with their new responsibility of leading this program,” said McDonald. “Their work ethic on the ice, in the classroom and in the community will set the standard for this team and all future RIT women’s hockey players.”
The Tigers enjoyed an excellent transition to Division I in 2012-13, finishing with a .500 record (16-16-1) and advancing to the semifinals of the College Hockey America Postseason Tournament. RIT finished tied for third in the CHA standings and won its first two postseason contests as a Division I program.
In league play, RIT went 3-0-1 against 2012 Tournament Champion Robert Morris, while going 5-0-1 vs. league rival Penn State. Out of conference, RIT defeated ECAC foes Yale and Brown, while taking NCAA Tournament Participant North Dakota to the final buzzer in a one-goal defeat. Overall, RIT was involved in 17 one-goal games during the season and recorded a five-game unbeaten streak in the second half of the season.
