ROCHESTER, NY – Despite a valiant effort, the RIT women’s hockey team (7-23-1, 3-13-1 CHA) dropped a home contest to College Hockey America leaders Mercyhurst University (15-10-4, 12-3-2 CHA) by a score of 4-1 at the Gene Polisseni Center on Friday afternoon.
Rachael Smith scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Lakers, who maintained its lead over Syracuse in the CHA standings. Brooke Hartwick, Jaclyn Arbour, and Jenna Dingeldein also scored for the Lakers, while Emily Janiga added two assists. In net, Sarah McDonell picked up the win with 20 saves.
Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) scored RIT’s lone goal with assists going to Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) and Reagan Rust (Southaven, MS/Moon Area). In goal, Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) made 25 saves on 28 shots.
Mercyhurst out-shot RIT, 29-21. Both teams were 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.
“Good teams find a way to create their own breaks and right now that’s not happening for us,” said Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. “We need to do a better job not giving up odd man rushes, but I thought we played well for stretches, especially as the game went on.”
Mercyhurst scored the lone goal of the opening period, while holding a 9-6 shots on goal advantage.
Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) had a great chance about eight minutes in on a 2-on-1 break, ripping a slap shot from the left circle, but McDonnell was there to make the save.
About four minutes later, Rackleff made an excellent save on Rachael Smith from the slot, as she walked in and tried to go high.
Mercyhurst would get on the board with 6:42 left in the period on a disputed play, as Hartwick walked into the zone with Megan Whiddon and ripped a low hard shot past Rackleff to the far side to make it 1-0 Lakers. McDonald challenged the ruling that the play should have whistled off sides and despite video evidence that showed Hartwick was clearly off sides, the goal was allowed to stand by the officials, much to the chagrin of the RIT faithful.
Both teams scored once in the middle frame, as Mercyhurst held a 2-1 edge after 40 minutes of play.
Rackleff had to make a few big saves in the period. Her first came on Hartwick off the rush. Late in the frame, she made a sensational glove save on Hannah Bale, who came in on a breakaway.
RIT had a golden chance midway through the second, as Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) intercepted a loose puck behind the Mercyhurst and quickly fed Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers), who was all alone in front. Unfortunately for RIT, Paton chipped the shot over the net from in close.
The Lakers would add to their lead 12:25 into the period, as Arbour would take a feed from Kathy Donohue in neutral zone and speed in on a 2-on-1 rush. Arbour fired from the slot and ripped a shot over Rackleff just under the crossbar for her third goal of the season.
RIT would cut the Mercyhurst lead in half with two minutes left in the second, as crashing the net; Paton would bury a rebound for her seventh goal of the season. Rust carried the puck into the zone and had her original shot stopped by McDonnell. Clayton came charging in with Paton and had one more chance stopped before Paton jammed in the rebound for the goal.
Rackleff made the save of the game with 12:31 left in regulation, lunging across the crease after a miscue in front to rob Bale with an amazing glove stop to keep it 2-1.
RIT would have plenty of chances to tie the game over the first half of the third period, but could not get the big goal.
The Lakers would add the insurance goal with 7:40 left in regulation, as Smith came into the zone on an odd man rush and looked to center a pass to the opposite winger, but the puck deflected off an RIT defenseman and caromed over Rackleff for the goal.
Dingeldein put the game away with an empty-netter in the final minute.
Today was the third of four meetings between the two schools this season. Mercyhurst won the two previous meetings earlier in the season on Oct. 30-31 by scores of 5-0 and 4-3 in overtime on home ice.
The Lakers have a 14-3 all-time record against the Tigers. Two out of the three victories for the Tigers over the Lakers have come in postseason play, both at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
The Tigers and Lakers will conclude their regular season series Saturday at 2 p.m. from the Polisseni Center. Before the game, RIT will honor seniors Haley Northcote (Cumberland, Ontario/Minnesota State), Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic), Paton, and Rackleff, who are playing in their final home game.
“We will take a positive away from how we played in the third period and play for the seniors tomorrow,” said McDonald.
