SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team opened a weekend series against Rochester Institute of Technology with a 7-0 loss on Friday at Cairns Arena. Sophomore Annika Lavender (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) made 64 saves, the third-highest total in program history.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-17), RIT (9-7-2)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADER

• Sophomore Annika Lavender (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), 64 saves (career high)
• First-year Alizée LeBlanc (Dieppe, New Brunswick/Ridley College), 11-for-21 faceoffs
• Sophomore Elisabeth Gerebi (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen), 8-for-17 faceoffs
• Senior Emma Kelly (Dorchester, Mass./Boston Latin School), 7-for-18 faceoffs
• Junior Gaby Tribelli (Montreal, Quebec/Dawson College), 6 blocked shots
• First-year Maddie Quinn (Chicago, Ill./Team Illinois AAA), 4 blocked shots

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Mia Tsilemos, 3 assists
• Junior Athena Vasdani, 2 goals
• Junior Kylie Aquaro, 1 goal, 1 assist
• First-year Addie Alvarez, 1 goal, 1 assist
• First-year Emma Pickering, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Sophomore Sophia Bellina, 8 saves in 39:44, win
• Senior Emma Stephen, 5 saves in 20 minutes of relief

GAME FACTS

• Lavender's 64 saves were the most by a goalie from a Division I conference this season. Her total was good for third in program history, and within two of Leah White's second-place 66-save effort on Jan. 22, 2022.
• The Purple Knights hosted an active College Hockey America (CHA) member for the first time while welcoming RIT to town for the first time since Jan. 28, 2007.
• Saint Michael's played the first of four games in five days.

THE ACTION

• In her first shift with the team, first-year Dedra Lyver (Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland/Central Icepak AAA Female U18) had a shot out front denied by Bellina at 2:30 of the opening period.
• Vasdani potted the lone goal of the frame with 5:42 gone, toe dragging in the slot to create shooting space before picking Lavender's glove corner.
• Lavender kept it 1-0 by twice denying Aquaro from up close around 9:10 before adding a glove denial of senior Emma Roland's one-timer at 13:17.
• During an RIT power play and 20 seconds remaining in the stanza, Lavender turned away both Alvarez and sophomore Jaidan Fahrny on back-to-back shots near the right post.
• RIT scored four times in a matter of 4:17 during the latter portion of the second frame, as four different Tigers tallied. Aquaro converted a give-and-go below the right circle at 11:33 on a power play, Vasdani finished a solo effort to Lavender's glove side at 13:47, junior Megan McCormick tipped in classmate Bailey Kehl's slapper from the blue line 58 seconds later, and senior Chloe McNeil's backhander near the left post found the net at 15:50.
• Alvarez (2:06) and Pickering (6:43) added third-period strikes, with the latter on a power play.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday vs. RIT, 2 p.m.