Women's Hockey opens AHA play this weekend against Robert Morris

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT women's hockey team begins Atlantic Hockey America play this weekend against Robert Morris on Friday (Nov. 1) at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday (Nov. 2) at 3:00 p.m.

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Friday PxP/Color: Scott Biggar, Rocky Perotta
Saturday PxP/Color: Scott Biggar, Rocky Perotta
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Weekend Recap (RIT vs. No. 6 St. Lawrence)
RIT went 0-1-1 against No. 6 St. Lawrence in con-conference action last weekend, losing 4-1 on Friday and earning a 2-2 tie the following day.
 
Senior forward Bronwyn Khangsar scored in Friday's loss, scoring 5:25 into the third period off an assist from senior forward Megan McCormick. Senior goalie Sarah Coe made 24 saves and first year goalie Brenna McNamara made five saves in relief of Coe in her first collegiate minutes.
 
Senior forward Kylie Aquaro and graduate student forward Nicole Ness each scored in Saturday's tie. Aquaro tied the game at 1-1 on her power play goal at 16:48 of the first period on assists from senior defensewoman Kyla Bear and first year defender Madison Buziak. Trailing 2-1 in the third period, Ness tied the game 3:01 into the frame. Junior goalie Sophia Bellina made a season-high 40 saves, including 15 stops in the third period and four in overtime.
 
Atlantic Hockey America Weekly Honors
Bellina was named the AHA Goaltender of the Week on Monday. The junior goalie made a season-high 40 saves in Saturday's 2-2 tie against No. 6 St. Lawrence.
 
Among the All-Time Netminders
Coe enters the weekend first in career saves (2,199), third in games played (72) and minutes played (4,000) and 11th with a career .905 save percentage. Bellina is tied for sixth all-time with a .930 save percentage, ninth in saves (822), tenth in games played (34) and minutes played (1,670) and 11th with a career 2.23 goals-against average.
 
Top 100 Scorers
Three Tigers are ranked in the top 100 in all-time scoring. Senior forward Kylie Aquaro enters the weekend tied for 47th all-time in scoring with 57 points (18g, 38a). Senior forward Athena Vasdani (14g, 22a) is and senior defensewoman Kyla Bear (6g, 30a) are tied for 77th with 36 points apiece.
 
Milestones
Senior defensewoman Bailey Kehl blocked her 150th career shot last weekend against No. 6 St. Lawrence and Kyla Bear recorded her 30th career assist last weekend. Senior forward Athena Vasdani is four points (14g, 22a, 36p) shy of 40 for her career. Aquaro is two goals shy of 20 and enters the weekend three points shy of 60.
 
Century Mark
Eight Tigers have surpassed the 100 games-played plateau. Graduate students Mia Tsilemos (123) and Nicole Ness (118), senior forward Megan McCormick (110), Kehl and Vasdani (109), Kyla Bear (108) and Aquaro (103).
 
About RIT
RIT enters the weekend averaging 2.5 goals per game while allowing 2.3 goals per contest. The Tigers are 8-for-37 (21.6%) on the power play and 22-for-25 killing off penalties. RIT is 276-of-538 (51.3%) on face offs and have blocked 167 shots.
 
Eighteen Tigers have at tallied at least one point through 10 games. Aquaro leads the team with eight points on four goals and four assists. Sophomore forward Addie Alvarez, first-year forward Brac Kelley and Kyla Bear are tied for second with six points apiece. Alvarez is tied for first on the team with four goals, Kelley is tied for second with four assists and Bear leads the team with six helpers. Sophomore defender Emma Pickering is fifth with five points and is tied with Alvarez and Aquaro with a team-best four goals.
 
Coe is 4-0-0 with a 1.93 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, while Bellina is 1-2-2 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
 
AHA Rankings
RIT leads Atlantic Hockey America in penalty-killing percentage (88.0%). The Tigers are second in power play percentage (21.6%), goals allowed (2.30) and faceoff winning percentage (51.3%) and third in scoring (2.50 goals per game) and assists per game (3.60).
 
Alvarez, Pickering and Aquaro are tied for fifth in the league with four goals apiece. Kyla Bear is tied for third in the conference with six assists and tied for fifth averaging 0.60 assists per game. Aquaro is seventh in the AHA with eight points, averaging 0.80 points per game and tied with Pickering with three power play tallies.
 
Senior forward Jordyn Bear is fourth in the league winning 47.4 percent of her faceoffs and tied for seventh with 73 wins, while Kelley is fourth in the league with 86 face-off wins. Pickering is tied for fourth in the AHA with 23 blocked shots and Kyla Bear is tied for seventh with 19 blocks.
 
Coe is second in Atlantic Hockey America with a 1.93 goals-against average, while Bellina is fifth with a 2.53 GAA. Coe is third in the league with a .926 save percentage and Bellina is seventh with a .916 save percentage.
 
About Robert Morris
Robert Morris enters this weekend with a 5-5-0 record after a weekend sweep at Saint Anselm, winning 6-1 and 7-1. Redshirt sophomore forward Calli Arnold scored two goals and graduate student forward Mya Neugent and junior forward Morgan Giannone each had a goal and three assists in Friday's win. Redshirt sophomore goalie Maggie Hatch made 39 saves to earn the win in net.
 
Giannone tallied two goals and an assist, while redshirt sophomore Alaina Giampietro and sophomore forward Janelle Evans each had a goal and two assists in Saturday's win. Neugent and graduate student forward Veronica Bac each tallied a goal and an assist and redshirt freshman goalie Lucy Phillips made 19 saves in goal for the Colonials.
 
Robert Morris enters the weekend second in Atlantic Hockey America averaging 2.6 goals per game and fifth in the conference allowing 3.5 goals per contest. The Colonials are fourth in AHA converting 16.2 percent of its power play chances and fourth killing off 26-of-39 of their opponent's power plays.
 
Giannone leads the team and is tied for third in Atlantic Hockey American with 10 points (4g, 6a). Neugent is second on the team and fifth in the AHA with nine points (3g, 6a) and Evans is third on the team and tied for seventh with eight points (2g, 6a). Bac leads the team and is tied for first in the league with five goals, including a league-best four power play tallies and Neugent and Giannone are tied for third in the AHA with six assists apiece.
 
Graduate student defender Allyson Hebert leads the AHA with 34 blocked shots and sophomore defenseman Kaitlyn Schooley and first year defenseman Shayne Desjardins are tied for second with 26 blocked shots.
 
Hatch is seventh in Atlantic Hockey America with a 3.03 goals against average and second with a .927 save percentage. Phillips is eighth in the league with a 3.14 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
 
RIT vs. Robert Morris
Robert Morris is 30-15-5 all time versus RIT. The Tigers were 2-2-0 versus the Colonials last season, including a 3-2 overtime win February 3. Trailing 2-1 in the third period, Nicole Ness tied the game halfway through the third period and Kylie Aquaro scored the game-winner 1:07 into overtime.
 
National Rankings
RIT is tenth in Division I in team saves (259) and tied for 11th in goals (25) and tied for 11th in penalty killing percentage (88.0%). The Tigers are 13th nationally converting 8-of-27 (21.6%) on the power play, 15th with 36 assists and tied for 18th averaging 2.50 goals per game.
 
Kyla Bear is tied for 25th with six assists. First year forward Brac Kelley is tied for 15th with 86 face-off wins and Pickering and Aquaro are tied for third with three power play goals. Sophomore forward Addie Alvarez is tied for fifth with two game-winning goals and Coe is tied for fourth with two shutouts, 20th with a 1.93 GAA and 25th with a .926 save percentage.
 
They Come from Far and Wide
The 26 Tigers hail from 11 states, two Canadian provinces and one country in Europe, with the largest groups coming from Ontario (6), Saskatchewan (4), Pennsylvania (3) and Illinois (3). Players hail from as close as Rochester, NY to as far away as Pale, Latvia (4,192 miles).
 
Ranked Opponents
RIT plays four teams ranked in this week's USCHO Division I Women's Poll. RIT is 1-2-1 versus ranked opponents. The Tigers split against No. 7 Colgate (Oct. 11-12) and went 0-1-1 versus No. 6 St. Lawrence (Oct. 25-26). The Tigers plays No. 11 Cornell in a home-and-home series (Nov. 26 and Dec. 31). RIT plays No. 12 Penn State (Jan. 10-11, Feb. 14-15).
 
Atlantic Hockey America
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) embarks on its first season in 2024-25 after the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 11 men's teams (American International College, Bentley University, Canisius College, The College of Holy Cross, Mercyhurst University, Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Military Academy), and six women's teams (Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, and Syracuse University). In 2025-26, Delaware University will join the women's league.