BEMIDJI, MN – The RIT women’s hockey team (4-13-2) fell to host Bemidji State University (7-10-2) by a score of 5-2 from the Sanford Center on Friday afternoon.
Alexis Joyce and Haley Mack had two goals and an assist apiece to lead the Beavers, while Emma Terres added a goal and an assist. In net, Lauren Bench made 19 saves to pick up the win.
Mallory Rushton (Amherst, Nova Scotia/New Hampton Prep) and Kendall Cornine (Kinnelon, NJ/Morristown Beard) scored for RIT, while Claudia Black (Newmarket, Ontario/St. Maximilian Kobe) assisted on both goals. Goaltender Terra Lanteigne (Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen) made 55 saves. It was her sixth game this season with at least 40 saves and third with 50 or more.
Bemidji State out-shot the Tigers, 60-21. The Beavers were 2-for-4 on the power-play and added a shorthanded goal. RIT finished 1-for-2 on the power-play.
Terres gave the Beavers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal, her sixth tally of the season 3:41 into the contest. Mack added a shorthanded goal at the 11:21 mark to up the Bemidji State lead to 2-0.
Rushton cut Bemidji State’s lead to 2-1 with her third goal of the season, a power-play marker just 1:47 into the period. Taylor Baker (Toronto, Ontario/North Toronto Collegiate Institute) fed Black down low, who then sent a pass to Rushton, who one-timed a blast past Bench.
That would be as close as RIT would get however, as the Beavers took over from there, scoring a pair of goals, while out-shooting the Tigers in the period, 24-6.
Mack scored her second goal of the day on the power-play, slipping in a feed from Mak Langei at the 8:46 mark to make it 3-1 Beavers. Joyce would add to the lead just under five minutes later, converting a pass from Emily Bergland for her second goal of the season.
Joyce would tally again 6:24 into the third period to give the Beavers a 5-1 lead. Cornine would close out the scoring, slipping in a shot after a good pass from Black for her team-best sixth goal of the season.
Bemidji State has won all three meetings between the two schools. Last season, the Beavers won both meetings at the Gene Polisseni Center by scores of 3-1 and 5-1.
RIT and Bemidji State wrap up the weekend series on Saturday afternoon from the Sanford Center, once again at 4:07 p.m. EST/3:07 p.m. CST.
