Clemons Nets First Goal of Season as Ice Hockey Routs RIT

By Chilekasi Adele | @CAdeleTV

SU Women’s Hockey Beat Reporter

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CitrusTV) — Syracuse Ice Hockey was firing on all cylinders Saturday night. Seven different Orange players scored in the game, en route to a 7-0 shutout of the RIT Tigers. 

Furthermore, all of SU’s goals came within the first forty minutes of the game. It all began in the first when Rayla Clemons was slashed by RIT’s Jordan Marchese about seven minutes into the first period. Clemons was given a penalty shot and converted, scoring her first goal of the season — and giving SU an early 1-0 lead.

A little bit later, Marielle McHale would score to make it 2-0 Syracuse. The Redshirt Junior netted her second goal of the season on Saturday. 

The Orange would almost triple their goal total from the first twenty minutes — finding the back of the net five times in the second period. Brynn Koocher made it 3-0 SU six minutes and fifty seconds into the second. Jessica DiGirolamo would make it 4-0 almost five minutes later — the Grad Student also had a goal in Friday’s game against the Tigers. 

The party wouldn’t stop there. Freshman Madison Primeau would add to the tally for Syracuse, making it 5-0 on a power-play goal. Another Freshman, Sarah Marchand, who won the game for Syracuse on Friday night in overtime, scored late in the third period to make it 6-0. 

Victoria Klimek would put the final SU goal in with 1:03 remaining in the 2nd after RIT’s Chloe McNeil was sent to the penalty box for holding. Starting goaltender Sarah Coe was replaced late in the 2nd period, with Junior Taylor Liotta going in relief of the freshman. Liotta allowed one goal throughout the remaining 22 minutes and 3 seconds. 

On the other hand, Orange goaltender Allison Small was flawless between the pipes. The Graduate Student recorded a shutout and had 24 total saves.

For SU: they improve to 4-5-2 on the season and are now 3-1 in the CHA. RIT remains winless this season: they are now 0-11-0, and 0-2-0 in the conference — their only conference games so far being against Syracuse. 

The Orange will head back to Central New York and travel to Ithaca on Tuesday, when they face Cornell at 7 PM. The Big Red are 1-4-1 overall, and 0-3-1 in the ECAC.