By: Liam Hoffmann
ROCHESTER, NY-- The RIT Tigers women's hockey team defeated the visiting No. 7 Colgate Raiders 4-2 Saturday afternoon, marking RIT's first result against a ranked opponent since a 2-2 tie against No. 10 Penn State in January of 2023. Senior forward Bronwyn Khangsar's game-winner in the 14th minute of the third period sealed the win. The Tigers scored three goals in the third period.
RIT first-year forward Brac Kelley skated in and saw two defenders collapse on her and the puck. She dumped it to Khangsar who buried the goal while falling to the ice, putting the Tigers ahead 3-2.
"Bronwyn called for the puck and I happened to glance up real quick and pass it right between her legs...she got it and scored it five-hole," Kelley said. "That was an amazing goal - that carried us throughout the entire rest of the game."
Earlier in the third, Kelley scored her first collegiate goal. She stole a pass and beat Colgate goalie Farah Walker with a shot that put RIT up 2-1. Minutes later, Colgate was a woman-up via an RIT roughing penalty and Raiders junior defensewoman Casey Borgiel delivered a one-timer tying goal. This was the last tie of the afternoon.
RIT forward Addie Alvarez scored an empty-netter in the final minutes.
"I give credit to my seniors and my fifth years," RIT head coach Celeste Brown said. "The progress they've made...their buy-in to the process...its enough to see them joyful after this game. It's pretty cool."
RIT's defense blocked 20 Colgate shots in the contest. Defensewomen senior Kyla Bear and sophomore Emma Pickering contributed four a piece. Senior goalie Sarah Coe saved 28 shots.
"It's heart and soul," Brown said. "Our forechecks, stick-on-pucks, details, habits - that's how we played from the beginning and it showed tonight. We executed and we came out with a W."
Senior forward Kylie Aquaro scored RIT's first goal on the power play in the middle period. Kelley shot from near the left dot and Aquaro found the rebound amidst a mess of players by the net and scored by flipping the puck over the top of anyone who could've stopped it.
"Brac has a wicked shot so as soon as she gets puck on her stick I'm going hard to the net and then it popped right out - I buried it," Aquaro said.
Three power plays per team characterized the first period. RIT defensewoman Mia Tsilemos went to the box for roughing just over 12 minutes into the game. Soon after, Colgate capitalized when forward Elyssa Biederman knocked in a redirect goal off defensewoman Casey Borgiel's shot.
During the Tigers' second woman-up situation, they managed five shots on goal in under a minute but to no avail. Walker made 11 saves across the first 20 minutes.
RIT's first-period offense was stunted by early struggles from the faceoff dot, losing 10 of the game's first 12. They also had difficulties passing to the hole from behind the net. Their defense, however, played Colgate tight for much of the frame, blocking eight shots.
In the second, Colgate served 22 penalty minutes as a team. Raiders' Biederman and defensewoman Gwen Eichfeld were each assessed five-minute majors. Coe faced only three shots in the first ten minutes of the period but ultimately made a pair of pivotal saves down the stretch.
"It only gets harder from here," Brown said. "Of course we're excited and happy and we're going to live in this moment for a little while but we have bigger goals and expectations here for our team."
The Tigers will face just two more opponents before beginning in-conference AHA play. RIT will host the RPI Engineers on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. then another ranked opponent in the No. 8 St. Lawrence Saints will be in town on Oct. 25 and 26.
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