Women's Hockey Wins Big Against Robert Morris

RIT's hockey program just had one hell of a weekend.

Not only did the men's hockey team wipe the floor with Mercyhurst this past Friday, Feb. 27, obliterating them 8-0, and finish them off 2-1 the following night, the women's hockey team just chalked up its own impressive victories. Where the men's hockey team was lacking in consistency this year, faltering in some crucial games and crashing out of the gates in others, the women's hockey team has been a fierce team all season-round. Each and every player on the team has played aggressively and thoughtfully even in the most hopeless-looking of games, and this past Friday and Saturday's games seemed like a logical bullet point on what has already been an exceptionally strong season. The CHA First Round series was this past weekend, and RIT came out victorious in both games against Robert Morris, trouncing them 3-1 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday.

While the women's hockey games were certainly less dramatic then the men's games the same weekend, that's not to say that they weren't truly exceptional wins. RIT's 3-1 win over Robert Morris on Friday night was clinched by the team managing to score a goal in all three periods of the game, a truly admirable feat. Every player was truly remarkable throughout the game, but fourth year goaltender/Finance major Ali Binnington stood out from the pack as a player whose presence is going to be dearly missed after this season. Making 30 saves in the net, Binnington was the player to watch Friday night. One crucial goalcame from second year forward/Biomedical Sciences major Mackenzie Stone deep into the second period, while second year forward/Business Marketing major Caitlin Wallace secured RIT's win with an empty-net goal with just 16 seconds left in regulation play.

Other key performances came from fourth year forward/Sociology and Anthropology major Celeste Brown, who made a great shot that was unfortunately blocked, and fourth year forward/Psychology major Marissa Maugeri, who also managed to pull off an excellent breakaway.

The Tigers headed into Saturday's game with a noticeable swagger and confidence which ultimately led them to a 1-0 victory in their second game against Robert Morris. Just like the previous night, Binnington played a spectacular game, stopping all 31 shots that were sent her way in an inspiring performance. Binnington's performance on Saturday led her to her school-record 19th career shutout. Friday and Saturday's wins brought RIT to a 2-0 win for the entire series, officially advancing the women's hockey team to the CHA Semifinal against top-seeded team Mercyhurst at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Friday, March 6.

Just as the case was for the men's hockey team, this past weekend seemed like a much-needed injection of confidence for the women's team as they head into the CHA Semifinal. As the top-seeded team, Mercyhurst is going to be a tough team to beat — but if this past weekend's game proved anything, it's that with the right degree of teamwork and aggressive, non-stop playing, the women's hockey team can easily tackle any obstacle in its way.