Women's Hockey | 4/15/2014 11:31:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT women's hockey team enjoyed a tremendous 2013-14 season, winning the College Hockey America Championship in just its second season as a Division I program, ending the season with a seven-game winning streak. The Tigers were just one of two teams (2014 NCAA National Champion Clarkson) to win its final game of the year.
 
On the morning of Feb. 15, the Tigers were 13-15-3, having lost three straight games, with a tough schedule ahead. That afternoon, RIT blocked 38 shots and defeated No. 8 Robert Morris 1-0, starting a defensive run that would continue throughout the rest of the season. The next weekend, RIT would sweep Syracuse by scores of 3-1 and 2-1 to claim third place in the CHA regular season standings.
 
The Tigers would save their best hockey for the postseason. On Feb. 28 and March 1, RIT swept a two-game CHA First Round series against Penn State, getting an overtime goal from Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) to win game one, 3-2, before closing out the Nittany Lions in game two, 3-0.
 
That earned the Tigers a trip to Erie, Pa. for the CHA Semifinal on March 7 against Robert Morris. The Tigers would race out to a 2-0 lead after two periods and play shutdown defense in the third period, ending the Colonials season with a 4-1 win. In the CHA Championship the following afternoon, goaltender Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) was the story, stopping 46 shots through regulation and 60 after the first overtime. With 6:17 left in the second overtime, Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) fired a shot through traffic that hit the top left corner of the net, giving RIT the CHA Championship with a 2-1 win.
 
RIT was not eligible for the NCAA Tournament due to a two-year probationary period from moving from Division III to Division I.
 
Binnington made a career-high 62 saves in the win and was named the CHA Tournament Most Valuable Player. That capped off an incredible run for Binnington, as she allowed just six goals on her last 240 shots faced (.975 save percentage and 0.77 goals against average) over the seven-game winning.
 
The junior goaltender enjoyed a tremendous season, finishing 16-9-2 with a 1.72 goals against average, .944 save percentage, and six shut outs. Her .944 save percentage ranked third nationally, she was tied for fifth in shut outs, and ninth nationally in goals against average. Binnington set RIT records for most games played (28), minutes played (1,640), and saves (788). She was named to the 2014 All-USCHO third team and was the CHA Regular Season Goaltender of the Year, finishing league play with an 8-4-1 record with a tremendous 1.35 goals against average and .955 save percentage.
 
RIT won four games against nationally-ranked foes and were 12-5-0 on home ice during the 2013-14 season. RIT won non-conference contests against New Hampshire, Vermont, Colgate, Brown, and Connecticut, allowing two or less goals in 25 contests.
 
On Dec. 14, the Tigers made history by playing in their first outdoor game, against 2014 National Champion Clarkson at Frontier Field in downtown Rochester. The two teams battled 10-degree weather and falling snow throughout, as RIT trailed the nationally-ranked Golden Knights 3-2 in the third period before eventually falling by a 6-2 score. It was an unforgettable moment for both teams.
 
Up front, junior Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) enjoyed a breakout season for the Tigers, leading the team in scoring with 28 points on nine goals and 19 assists, including 19 points in 20 CHA contests. Maugeri had three different three-point outings during the season and enjoyed a stretch where she recorded 17 points during a 14-game stretch. She formed a line with senior Erin Zach (Elmira, Ontario/Cambridge Fury) and junior Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) that was RIT's best trio during the season.
 
Zach posted a career-high 25 points on eight goals and 17 assists. She tallied three game-winning goals during the season, including an overtime winner against Connecticut at the Nutmeg Classic on Nov. 30. She also tied for the team lead with six power-play goals. McCrea, who missed all of 2012-13 due to injury, tied RIT's Division I team record with 16 goals in 32 contests, while leading the team with 52 penalty minutes. She was named the CHA Player of the Week on Nov. 25 after scoring three goals in a weekend series against nationally-ranked Mercyhurst.
 
Senior Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/LA Selects) also enjoyed an excellent final season with the Tigers, recording 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists. She ended the season with seven points (3-4-7) over her last six games and finished her tremendous career tied for third all-time with 136 points, fourth with 82 assists, second with 24 power-play goals, and seventh with 54 goals. Classmate Melissa Bromley (Aurora, Ontario/Aurora Panthers) finished her senior season in style, recording five goals, including three tallies and two-game winning goals against Syracuse and Penn State over her last five games.
 
Junior captain Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) tied for the team lead with six power-play tallies en route to an 11 goal, seven assist season. She was second on the team with four game-winning tallies, including the overtime winner against Penn State in game one of the CHA First Round Series. She was named CHA Player of the Week on March 3. Sophomores Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers), Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic), and Katie Hubert (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) chipped in offensively as well. Paton had a career-high 11 points on five goals and six assists.
 
The freshman group of Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton), Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School), Dakota Waites (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair), Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate), and Brittany St. James (Orono, Ontario/St. Stephen Catholic) enjoyed excellent debut seasons for the Tigers. Stone, the CHA Rookie of the Week on Nov. 18, scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points. All five of her goals were game-winners and she had the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the CHA Championship. Clayton scored four goals and was a two-time CHA Rookie of the Week. She scored the game-winning shorthanded goal in a 4-3 win over Syracuse on Jan. 10 and emerged as RIT's best defensive center. Waites recorded nine points on a goal and eight assists. Wallace emerged as a hard-worker who played on the top line in the postseason.
 
On defense, junior Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) emerged as a tremendous two-way player for the Tigers in 2013-14, earning All-CHA second team honors and was named to the CHA Championship All-Tournament Team. Grigg, the CHA Player of the Week on March 10, led the CHA and was among the national leaders with 127 blocked shots. Grigg led all RIT defensemen with 21 points on three goals and 18 assists. She finished the year with six points over her last six games.
 
The duo of juniors Morgan Scoyne (Drumbo, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) and Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) enjoyed excellent seasons on the blue line for the Tigers. Scoyne, an assistant captain, recorded 14 points on two goals and 12 assists, and blocked 82 shots, while Bulleid had nine points on goal and eight assists with 53 blocks. Both players helped solidify a tenacious Tiger defense.
 
The trio of freshmen Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic), Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby Collegiate), and Lauren Klein (Shoreview, MN/Mounds View) all stepped in immediately and became valuable members of the defensive unit.  Thurston played in all 38 contests and teamed with Scoyne, recording seven assists, while Stenason, arguably RIT's fastest skater, was part of a lock down pairing with Grigg, blocking 45 shots. Klein appeared in all 38 games, with a goal and four assists.
 
In addition to Binnington's incredible play in net, sophomore Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) and freshman Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) also made a handful of appearances apiece. Rackleff went 3-3-0 with a 3.84 goals against average and .880 save percentage, while Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) was named the CHA Rookie of the Week on Feb. 3 after picking up her first collegiate win over Penn State.
 
The future is bright for the Tigers, with nearly everyone returning for the 2014-15 season. The Tigers will be eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time and will look to defend their CHA Championship.