SCHENECTADY, NY – (Janet Schultz photo) –The RIT women’s hockey (4-14-3) skated to a 3-3 tie versus Union College (4-12-3) Friday evening in a non-conference match up from Frank L. Messa Rink. Union scored two goals in a span of 34 seconds with the goalie pulled in regulation to gain the tie.
Tori Haywood (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary’s Catholic), Brittney Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes) and Stella Haberman (Golden Valley, MN/Minnesota Whitecaps) scored for the Tigers, who built leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before Union fought back. Haberman’s goal was the first of her collegiate career. In net, Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) stopped 27 shots.
Caitlyn McLaren had a goal and an assist, while Haley Shugart and Jordi Naidrich also scored for the Dutchwomen. In net, Kate Spooner made 21 saves.
Shots were 30-26 in favor of Union. RIT was 1-for-2 on the power-play, while Union was 1-for-4.
Neither team scored in the first period, as both squads fired eight shots on net.
RIT would open the scoring with 9:25 left in the second period, as Haywood rifled in a centering pass from Claudia Black (Newmarket, Ontario/St. Maximilian Kobe) in the slot for her third goal of the season. Baylee Trani (Huntington Beach, CA/New England Hockey Club) also assisted on the goal. Just under four minutes later, RIT extended its lead to two goals, as Gout fired a shot from the left point through a screen into the top right corner for her second goal of the year, a power-play marker from Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) and Ellie Larson (Hutchinson, MN/Hutchinson High School).
McLaren cut RIT’s lead in half, flipping a shot from the point it through traffic on a power-play and past Lanteigne to make it 2-1 with 1:51 to go in the second.
With just 11:26 to play in the regulation, Haberman scored her first collegiate goal, slamming in a rebound in tight to make it 3-1 Tigers. Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) cut to the net and fired a hard shot that Spooner shot, with the rebound coming right to Haberman at the side of the net.
RIT looked to be in control, as Union pulled Spooner for an extra attacker with just under three minutes remaining. McLaren fired a shot from the point that Shugart redirected through traffic and in to make it 3-2 RIT with 2:03 left. Union won the ensuing faceoff and sent Spooner to the bench again, gaining the sixth attacker. Once again, Union would tally, as Naidrich picked up a loose puck in the slot and sent a backhander past Lanteigne with 1:29 left to tie the game.
Rushton had a great chance in the final minute of overtime, toe-dragging a Union defender in close and cutting to the net. Unfortunately, her point-blank shot sailed just over the net.
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools 10-4-2.
The Tigers and Dutchwomen return to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. to wrap up the fall semester. The Tigers are then off until Jan. 12-13, 2018 when they travel to Erie, Pa. to take on College Hockey America foe, Mercyhurst University.
