ROCHESTER, NY - The 2014-15 RIT women's hockey team made history by winning its second consecutive College Hockey America Championship, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I program since moving up in 2012.
 
The Tigers finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the CHA Tournament and made their big late season run to the NCAA Tournament, sweeping No. 3 Robert Morris in the first round, before knocking off top-seed Mercyhurst, 4-1 in the semifinal on March 6. The following afternoon, Carly Payerl (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) scored 3:15 into double overtime to lift the Tigers to their second straight CHA Championship, 2-1 overtime Syracuse.
 
In the NCAA Tournament on March 14, RIT put up a valiant effort, but fell at top-seed, Minnesota, the eventual national champions, 6-2 at historic Ridder Arena. Payerl would score both RIT goals in that contest.
 
The Tigers opened the 4,300-seat Gene Polisseni Center this season and after sweeping Union College to open the brand new building on Oct. 3-4, would draw a program record 3,011 fans against Northeastern on Oct. 11 as part of RIT's "One Spirit" Global Hockey Festival.
 
RIT started the season 5-2-1 in October before a slew of injuries hit, sending the Tigers on a stretch where they would win five of their next 25 contests. RIT would get hot when it mattered, going on a five-game winning streak that would propel them into its fourth NCAA Tournament in program history.
 
RIT's senior class of goaltender Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs), captains Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) and Lindsay Grigg (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Hornets), assistant captain Morgan Scoyne (Drumbo, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres), forwards Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) and Marissa Maugeri (Ajax, Ontario/Durham West Lightning) and defenseman Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) would lead the way down the stretch. This group won a NCAA Division III National Championship as freshmen in 2012, helped RIT make the successful transition to Division I in 2013 and back-to-back CHA titles in 2014. RIT's seniors finished their four-year career with an impeccable 15-2 record in postseason play. The six skaters combined to play in 805 career games with 175 goals and 226 assists for 401 points.
 
Despite missing 10 games due to injury, Binnington enjoyed another tremendous season for the Tigers in 2014-15, earning CHA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight season, while finishing 12-11-3 with a 1.82 goals against average and .937 save percentage to go along with five shutouts. Her .937 save percentage was eighth nationally. Binnington was a four-time CHA Goaltender of the Week this season and 15-time honoree in four seasons. For her career, Binnington set RIT records with 2,292 saves, 94 games played, 5,337 minutes played, and 19 shutouts. She finished with an overall record of 49-30-9, 1.73 goals against average and .937 save percentage.
 
Grigg, named the College Hockey America Top Defensive Forward,  and to the CHA Championship All-Tournamewnt Team, led RIT in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. She finished her RIT career as the university's all-time leader with 143 games played, recording 20 goals and 75 points. Brown led the Tigers with 10 goals in 2014-15 and tallied 70 career points on 42 goals and 28 assists. She is RIT's Division I career leader with 30 goals.
 
McCrea, who recorded 16 points on eight goals and eight assists this season, became the 13th player in RIT women's hockey history to reach 100 career points with an overtime game winner at Lindenwood on Jan. 30. She finished her RIT career third all-time with 68 goals and 12th with 104 points. Maugeri, who missed the first 12 games due to injury, recorded 12 points on eight goals and four assists. Maugeri, RIT's leading scorer in 2013-14, finished her RIT career with 31 goals and 30 assists in 129 career contests.
 
Scoyne battled through injuries to play in 28 games this season and was named to the College Hockey America Championship All-Tournament Team. She recorded 49 career points on seven goals and 42 assists in 133 career games. Bulleid led all RIT defensemen in scoring this season with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists. On Jan. 23, she recorded her first career two-goal game, scoring the game-winner in a 4-3 overtime win over Syracuse. Bulleid had five points over her last five games and finished her RIT career with 42 points in 139 career contests.
 
Payerl, who scored RIT's final three goals of the season, including the double-overtime game-winner in the CHA Championship over Syracuse and both goals in the NCAA Quarterfinal at Minnesota, finished her junior season with 13 points on seven goals and six assists. Classmate Jess Paton (Woodstock, Ontario/Waterloo K-W Rangers) also recorded 13 points on six goals and seven assists. Both women played in all 39 games and are poised to take on big leadership role in 2015-16.
 
Sophomores Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School), Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton), and Caitlin Wallace (Brantford, Ontario/Assumption Collegiate) made major strides forward as the season progressed. Clayton was named to the CHA Championship All-Tournament Team and despite missing the first 12 games of the season, tallied eight points in 27 games. She emerged as RIT's top defensive forward, consistently shutting down the opponents best offensive threats. Stone was tied for second on the team in scoring with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. A clutch player, eight of Stone's 11 career goals are game-winners. Wallace had a point in six straight games late in the season, finshing with five goals and nine points.
 
Freshmen Darcy Henderson (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) and Victoria Pitawanakwat (Manitowaning, Ontario/Sudbury Wolves) gained valuable experience. Henderson played in all 39 contests, while Pitawanakwat appeared in 37 games. Both women will be expected to play a much larger role offensively in 2015-16. Classmate Maddie Grisko (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Bisons) added depth, appearing in 16 contests.
 
In addition to the strong work of Scoyne and Bulleid on the defensive unit, sophomore assistant captain Taylor Thurston (Kanata, Ontario/All Saints Catholic) made major strides forward in 2014-15. Named the College Hockey America Individual Sportsmanship Award winner, Thurston took just two penalties while playing in all 39 games, recording 12 points on a goal and 11 assists. On Jan. 30, Thurston scored her first collegiate goal and added two assists in a 5-4 overtime win at Lindenwood.
 
Junior Haley Northcote (Cumberland, Ontario/Minnesota State) joined the Tigers as a transfer this season and made immediate contributions from day one, playing a solid game on both ends of the ice, while chipping in with nine points on a goal and eight assists. Sophomore Lindsay Stenason (Oakville, Ontario/Appleby Collegiate) appeared in 36 games on the blueline, while freshmen Christa Vuglar (Crystal Lake, IL/Chicago Mission) and Lauren Carroll (Carlisle, Ontario/Oakville Hornets) both played in every game this season. Vuglar, named to the CHA All-Rookie Team, had eight points on a goal and seven assists.
 
Goaltenders Brooke Stoddart (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale) and Jetta Rackleff (Bend, OR/Summit) showed flashes of brilliance for the Tigers in 2014-15. Stoddart was named the College Hockey America Goaltender of the Week on Feb. 2, earning wins over Brown and Lindenwood. On Oct. 11, she made a career-high 38 saves against Northeastern and recorded a 2.30 goals against average and .912 save percentage. Rackleff picked up her first two collegiate shutouts against Princeton and Rensslaer, finishing the season with a 2.36 goals agains average and .913 save percentage.
 
Despite the loss of RIT's seven seniors, the Tigers will return a championship tested squad in 2015-16.