ROCHESTER, NY – Junior defenseman Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby Collegiate) scored with 21 seconds left in regulation to break a 1-1 tie and lift the RIT women’s hockey team (1-0-0) to a 2-1 win over Minnesota State University (1-1-0) in front of 939 fans in the 2015-16 regular season opener at the Gene Polisseni Center on Friday evening.
Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) fished out a loose puck along the right half wall and fed a pass to Brinna Dochniak (Marine on St. Croix, MN/Stillwater) at the right point. Dochniak fired a cross ice pass to Stenason, the game’s first star, who took two strides in a fired a perfectly placed shot past Minnesota State goaltender Brianna Quade off the right post and in for the winner.
Stenason also broke a 1-1 tie with the game-winner in the first ever regular season game at the Gene Polisseni Center on Oct. 3, 2004 vs. Union.
Before the game, RIT honored Trustee Emeritus Bruce B. Bates, who provided the gift where endowed earnings will support the salary of the women’s head hockey coach and provide budget relief to athletics. It is RIT’s first endowed coaching position, as head coach Scott McDonald is now the Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach.
With the game scoreless in the third period, Minnesota State took the lead at the 5:50 mark, as Elin Johansson fired a shot that RIT goaltender Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) stopped, but with the rebound in the air, Stoddart was slammed into her own net, with the puck crossing the line. The play was reviewed by the officials and the goal was upheld, as a RIT player pushed a Minnesota State forward into Stoddart. Katoe Johnson and Hannah Davidson assisted on the goal.
Just 1:23 later, RIT would tie the game, as Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) jammed home a loose puck of a scramble in front. Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) fired a shot from the left point that Quade stopped, with the rebound bouncing off Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) to Clayton, who was in the right spot for the goal.
Stoddart came up with a game-saving stop with 6:43 left, robbing Davidson with a right pad save after the Minnesota State forward stole a clearing pass from a RIT defender and came in all alone.
Both goaltenders played very well, as RIT held a 31-27 edge in shots. Stoddart stopped 26 shots in the win to earn second star of the game honors, while Quade made 29 saves to be named the game’s third star.
RIT was 0-for-5 on the power-play, while Minnesota State was 0-for-1. RIT took just one penalty, setting a Division I team record for fewest penalty minutes in a game.
“I thought it was a well played game on both sides and overall we made some nice plays and held our ground in the defensive zone,” said Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach Scott McDonald. “Brooke (Stoddart) came up with some monster saves for us.”
Neither team scored in a quickly played first period with very few whistles. RIT held a 12-7 edge in shots, but both teams had a few good chances.
Stoddart came up big, smothering a shot from Emily Harris off a scrum in the slot seven minutes into the contest. She then made a strong glove save on Katie Johnson, who unleashed a high, hard slap shot from the right face-off circle on a 4-on-2 rush later in the period.
Reagan Rust (McKinney, TX/Moon Area) had RIT’s best chance late in the period, taking a feed just inside the Mavericks zone, deking a defenseman and firing a shot from in tight that Quade just got a piece of to keep the game scoreless.
Both teams had more chances in the second period but could not break through, as the game remained scoreless after 40 minutes of play.
Early in the period, Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) took a feed from Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) in the slot, but had her point blank shot smothered by Quade. RIT kept up the pressure, firing seven of the first nine shots of the frame, but Quade was able to keep everything out.
Minnesota State ratcheted up the pressure late in the period, but Stoddart and the RIT defense held. Emily Antony had a partial breakaway, but could not get a shot off. In the final minute, Hanna Davidson was all alone in front, but Payerl slid across to block the shot.
RIT first-year students Brooke Baker (Saline, MI/Saline), Cornine, Dochniak, Kathryn Kennedy (Hamilton, Ontario), Logan Land (Turkey Point, Ontario/Holy Trinity Catholic), Rushton, Rust, and Kandice Sheriff (Brampton, Ontario) all made their collegiate debuts in tonight’s game.
“The freshmen responded well tonight,” said McDonald.
Tonight’s game was first ever meeting between the two schools.
RIT and Minnesota State wrap up their weekend series from the Polisseni Center at 1 p.m. Saturday.
