ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women’s hockey team will play its first two regular season games as a Division I program on Friday and Saturday, September 28-29 against No. 10 Mercyhurst University at Ritter Arena. Friday’s game begins at 7:35 p.m., while Saturday’s contest starts at 2 p.m. On Friday, RIT will unveil its 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship Banner and all fans in attendance will receive a special commemorative ticket as part of the university’s first Division I game.The Tigers return 18 players from last season’s NCAA Division III Championship squad, including their top 13 scorers and both goaltenders. Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/Marina), a 2012 AHCA All-American, led the team in scoring with 45 points on 20 goals and 25 assists. 2012 All-American defenseman Kristina Moss (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) and goaltender #Laura Chamberlain, an All-American and Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 NCAA Tournament also return. RIT brings back 134 goals and 225 assists from last season’s squad.
On Sunday, RIT rolled to a 6-1 win over the Oakville Hornets of the Ontario Provincial Women’s Hockey League in an exhibition contest at Ritter Arena. Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT) and Tenecia Hiller (Brampton, Ontario/St. Augustine Secondary) scored a pair of goals apiece for RIT. Katie Hubert (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Nelson) and Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario) also scored for the Tigers, who were 1-for-4 with the man-advantage. Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario) picked up the win in net, stopping 11 shots in just over 30 minutes. Chamberlain played the final 29:17, stopping 12 shots.
Mercyhurst, who was picked to finish first in the AHA preseason poll for the 11th straight year, is 336-92-29 since becoming a Division I program in 1999. The Lakers have made eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances and are 127-6-9 in CHA play. Last season, the Lakers finished 23-8-3 and were 8-1-3 in CHA play, losing in the conference championship to Robert Morris. On Saturday, Mercyhurst defeated Stoney Creek of the PWHL 10-1, behind three goals and two assists from Christie Cicero. The Lakers return 12 players from last season’s squad, including junior captain Christine Bestland, who recorded 24 goals and 34 assists for 58 points in 34 games.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for faculty/staff/alumni and $3 for students and youth. RIT student admission is free with valid ID (ticket must be picked up at the box office).
Friday’s game will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 26 or 1026 (high definition) for Time Warner subscribers with Gene Battaglia and former RIT standout Katie Stack (Batavia, NY/Rochester Edge) bringing you the action. Both games will be broadcast on WITR 89.7 FM and streamed at witr.rit.edu.
RIT will compete in College Hockey America, alongside Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Penn State, Robert Morris, and Syracuse. The Tigers will play four games against each opponent, two at home, and two on the road, and is eligible for the CHA Tournament. RIT, who will play 34 regular season games in 2012-13, is ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament until the 2014-15 season due to a mandatory two-year probationary period when moving up from Division III to Division I.
Come out and support the Tigers in their first season as a Division I program and “Rock the Ritter”.
