CHAMPIONS! Tigers win second straight CHA Championship; advance to NCAA’s for first time in Division I
ERIE, PA – Junior forward Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) scored 3:15 into double overtime to lift the sixth-seeded RIT women’s hockey team to (15-18-5) its second straight College Hockey America Championship, 2-1 over No. 2 seed Syracuse (11-15-10) at Mercyhurst Ice Arena on Saturday. The Tigers earn the CHA automatic bid into the 2015 NCAA Tournament and will find out their next opponent on Sunday evening, as the NCAA Division I selection show will take place at 6 p.m.on NCAA.com.
Payerl took a feed from Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) in the neutral zone, came over the Syracuse blue line and ripped a hard wrist shot from the high slot through a partial screen over the glove of Orange goaltender Jenn Gilligan for her fifth goal of the season. Morgan Scoyne (Drumbo, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) also assisted on the goal.
From there, the Tigers piled on the ice in jubilation, mobbing goaltender Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs), who was named the CHA Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second straight season. Binnington stopped 44-of-45 shots in today’s win, and 70-of-72 shots over the weekend. Binnington is now 11-1 in her postseason career with a microscopic 0.90 goals against average and .969 save percentage.
RIT has now won five straight contests.
“We refused to lose, refused to quit, and the girls were rewarded,” said RIT head coach Scott McDonald. “I can’t say enough about this team, what they have accomplished is incredible. This was our goal, to win the CHA Tournament, regardless of what seed we were. We are excited to represent our league in the NCAA Tournament next week.”
Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets), who scored RIT’s first goal 30 seconds into the third period, tying the game at 1-1, was also named to the CHA All-Tournament Team, along with forward Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School), and Scoyne.
Emily Costales scored Syracuse’s lone goal late in the second period. In net, Gilligan stopped 28 shots.
Syracuse out-shot RIT, 45-30. RIT was 0-for-6 with the man-advantage, while Syracuse was 0-for-5.
Tonight’s contest was the second longest in program history at 83:15, trailing only the 2014 CHA Championship win over Mercyhurst, which lasted 93:43.
Neither team scored in a hotly contested first period of play that featured several good chances by each side, with the Orange holding a 13-9 edge in shots.
RIT had the first really good scoring chance, as five minutes in, McCrea had two whacks at a loose puck in the crease, but Gilligan was up to the task both times. Moments later, Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) came in on a partial breakaway and was stopped by Gilligan on a backhand attempt. The puck caromed around and a pass was centered to Clayton in the slot, but her shot was turned aside the right pad of Gilligan. On the next shift, Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) had a strong backhand attempt from the slot turned aside by the Syracuse goaltender.
Binnington’s time to shine was later in the period on a Syracuse power-play, as Heather Schwartz fired a backhander through traffic that the RIT goaltender swatted away, Schwartz had a second chance moments later from the slot and Binnington was able to smother that as well. She stopped two other shots on that Syracuse power-play attempt.
The Orange would tally in the lone goal of the second period, as both teams controlled play for various stretches.
Scoyne did a great job breaking up a Syracuse 2-on-1 odd-man rush with a sliding block on a centering attempt. Moments later, Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) just missed the net on a backhand attempt from in close.
Syracuse would get the opening goal of the contest with just over six minutes left in the second period, as a shot from Nicole Renault was redirected in front by Costales just inside the right post past Binnington for her third goal of the season.
RIT would respond well after the Syracuse goal, keeping the Orange hemmed in their own zone for a full two minutes late in the period, but could not get the tying goal. With 20 seconds left in the frame, Binnington made a crucial save on a slap shot from Jessica Sibley from the slot, as she was left alone.
It took the Tigers just 30 seconds to gain the equalizer in the third period, as Grigg would jam home a rebound after a shot from Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) was tipped on goal by Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate). Gilligan made the initial save, but Grigg was able to chip the puck over the fallen Syracuse goaltender for her seventh tally of the season.
From there, it turned into virtually a 19-minute overtime session that saw both teams clamp down defensively and limit many good scoring chances. Both teams were diving for loose pucks, blocking shots, and clogging up passing lanes, as a bulk of play was in the neutral zone.
With 1:56 left in regulation, Binnington made a game saving stop on Sibley, as the Syracuse forward made a fancy move on a defender and attempted a backhander that Binnington gobbled up from in close.
Binnington finished regulation with 35 saves on 36 shots, while Gilligan had 23 saves on 24 shots.
Both teams came out buzzing in the first overtime, determined to end the game, but it would not happen so soon.
Just 1:28 into the extra period, Scoyne was denied by Gilligan on a 2-on-1 rush from the right circle. Just two minutes later, Haley Northcote (Cumberland, Ontario/Minnesota State) made a great sliding block of a Syracuse shot on a 2-on-1 rush of their own. Moments later, Binnington denied Alysha Burris from the right circle on another Syracuse odd-man rush.
RIT nearly won the game with 10:10 left, as Gilligan cleared the puck along the boards, getting a pass intercepted by a Tiger on the right wing. A shot was blocked in front with the rebound going right to Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) in the slot, but Gilligan got back into position and was able to make a game-saving save on the RIT forward.
With 8:10 left in overtime, Binnington rose to the occasion once again, robbing Allie LaCombe on a breakaway after two Tigers collided in the neutral zone. LaCombe tried to beat Binnington high, but the RIT goaltender made a sensational left arm save to keep the game tied.
Both teams had a power-play late in the first overtime, but the penalty-killing units were up to the task.
RIT is now 24-12 all-time in postseason contests at the Division I and III levels, since women’s hockey was recognized as a NCAA Championship sport in 2001. Since Scott McDonald took over as head coach in 2006, RIT is 21-7 in the postseason, including a 10-1 mark at the Division I level, with eight straight victories. The senior class of Scoyne, McCrea, Maugeri, Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres), Grigg, Brown, and Binnington has an impeccable 15-1 record in postseason play.
The Tigers were the first six seed to advance to the CHA Championship game and win in the league’s history. RIT defeated No. 3 seed Robert Morris in a two-game series sweep in the first round on Feb. 27-28, winning by scores of 3-1 and 1-0. Yesterday, the Tigers knocked off top-seed Mercyhurst in the CHA Semifinal, 4-1, as Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton) and Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) scored a goal and added an assist apiece.
Syracuse leads the all-time series between the two schools, 7-6-1. Eleven of the 14 meetings between the two schools have ended as either one goal games or in ties, with seven going to overtime. Syracuse won the lone postseason meeting between the two schools prior to today, 2-1 in overtime in the 2013 CHA Semifinals at Mercyhurst.
RIT won the season series between two schools, 3-2 this season. On Dec. 6, Alysha Burris scored the hat-trick in a 4-2 win at Syracuse. Maugeri scored two goals and added an assist, while Bulleid scored twice, including the overtime winner, as RIT pulled out a dramatic 4-3 win on Jan. 23. On Feb. 20, Burris tallied a pair of goals in a 4-1 home win for the Orange. The next day, Brown scored a third period goal and Binnington turned aside all 26 shots she faced in a 1-0 RIT win.
The Tigers are the first team other than Mercyhurst to make the NCAA Tournament from the CHA. This is the first time a CHA team has received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
CHA All-Tournament Team
MVP – Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs), RIT
F – Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets), RIT
F – Allie LaCombe, Syracuse
F – Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School), RIT
D – Nicole Renault, Syracuse
D – Morgan Scoyne (Drumbo, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres), RIT
G – Jenn Gilligan, Syracuse
