ROCHESTER, NY – Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) scored two goals, including the game-winner exactly a minute into overtime, and Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) was stellar in goal as the women’s hockey team (6-18-1, 2-8-1 College Hockey America) upended Syracuse (10-12-3, 6-3-2 College Hockey America) 2-1 in overtime at the Gene Polisseni Center on Friday evening on “Skate for the Cure Night.”
Brooke Baker (Saline, MI/Saline), fighting for possession behind the net, hit it off her skate to Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers), who found Payerl streaking down the slot, her shot from in close beating Syracuse goaltender Jenn Gilligan up high to help RIT get the big win. Payerl notched both goals for the Tigers, while Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) recorded assists on both tallies. Rackleff grabbed the win in an enormous effort between the pipes, stopping 41 of 42 shots. Paton was the game’s third star, Payerl, star No. 2, and Rackleff the No. 1 star.
Nicole Ferrara scored the lone goal for Syracuse, with Melissa Piacentini and Nicole Renault drawing assists. In net, Gilligan stopped 16 shots for the loss.
RIT won despite being outshot by the Orange, 42-18. RIT was 0-for-6 with the extra attacker, while Syracuse converted one out of six chances.
“Overall, I was very pleased at how the game played out,” said Bruce B. Bates Head Coach Scott McDonald. “Syracuse is a great team, a possession team, and we were chasing them around a lot. Last week we were rattled by calls that didn’t go our way, but tonight we responded to adversity.”
The RIT women’s hockey team in conjunction with College Hockey America, held its annual “Skate With the Cure” game tonight. This year, RIT supported “Do It For Daron” (DIFD), an organization dedicated to raising awareness, inspiring conversations, and transforming youth mental health. The Tigers wore special jerseys that were auctioned off during the game, with all money raised going towards DIFD.
Syracuse out-shot RIT 11-5 in the first, but the Tigers had ample chances, the best coming with under three minutes to go, when Haley Northcote (Cumberland, Ontario/Minnesota State) fired a rocket from the blue line that beat Gilligan high, but bounced off the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.
The Orange eventually got on the board midway through the second period, taking advantage of a power-play opportunity when Piacentini’s pass deflected off of an RIT defender, finding Ferrara in front of the net, who banked home the goal.
Undeterred, the Tigers fought back. Payerl started the scoring for the Tigers with 15 seconds remaining in the second period, as she played a pass through a tight space from Paton from in front of net, one-timing a shot past Gilligan.
The momentum continued into the third period, as RIT came out firing. Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) barreled toward the goal just after the opening faceoff, taking two shots low that Gilligan swiped away. Reagan Rust (Southaven, MS/Moon Area) had an opportunity to bang home the ensuing rebound, but Gilligan got into position and turned away the third shot.
From there, the Orange peppered the Tiger defense, getting 32 total shots in the period. But Rackleff and the Tigers defense stepped up late, blocking eight shots, in addition to Rackleff stopping all 18 shots on goal that she faced. In one possession, Ferrara wrapped around the back of the net, from left to right, and seemed to have the inside track at the net. Rackleff instinctively stuck out her skate, denying Ferrara’s chance at the puck was mere inches away from crossing the goal line.
The Tigers had a golden opportunity to win it, as Northcote once again fired a shot from near the blue line, but that shot bounced off of Gilligan to send the game into overtime, leading to Payerl’s theatrics.
Syracuse won both earlier-season meetings between the two schools by a combined 12-2, winning 7-1 in Syracuse on Oct. 21 and 5-1 at the Polisseni Center on Nov. 18. Syracuse leads the all-time series between the two schools, 9-7-1. Twelve of the 17 meetings have either ended in ties or a one-goal difference, with seven going to overtime. RIT won the 2015 CHA Championship over Syracuse at Mercyhurst, 2-1 in double overtime, as Payerl once again provided the dramatics.
The Tigers will finish their regular season series with Syracuse on the road tomorrow at 7 p.m.
