By LIAM HOFFMANN
ROCHESTER, N.Y.— First-period goals by RIT forwards senior Kylie Aquaro and sophomore Linda Rulle lifted the No. 4 seeded Tigers to a 4-0 win over the No. 5 Lindenwood Lions in the AHA quarterfinals. In the second, first year forward Kailey Favro found the back of the net twice.
“We always talk about the first 10 minutes of a game, so being able to do that and build momentum throughout the game, I think it really helped us,” Favro said.
This afternoon saw the Tigers’ first home playoff game, and win, since the 2013-14 CHA semifinals.
“I’m super proud of our players for executing the gameplan and checking the box of what we wanted to accomplish here tonight,” RIT head coach Celeste Brown said. “It’s a big deal to have this home playoff game.”
RIT’s 16 wins are its most since 2013-14 (20). That year, the Tigers were College Hockey America champions.
The Tigers’ last playoff victory was in the 2021-22 postseason. No. 5 RIT downed No. 4 Lindenwood 6-4 on Feb. 24, 2022. Current senior Tigers such as Aquaro and goalie Sarah Coe were first years then.
“We were just talking about in the hall about how the last playoff win was against Lindenwood,” Coe said. “I mean, that first year, that was only our second win of the season and for this one, it’s our 16th…it’s been incredible to see the growth, our group has been so resilient.”
The senior netminder’s 25-save effort netted her first career postseason shutout and fourth this season. Coe’s last goal-free showing was on Jan. 17, 2025, in RIT’s 2-0 defeat of Robert Morris.
To pair, the Tigers defense blocked 25 shots.
“Defense wins championships,” Brown said. “Yes, you have to score goals, but we talk about the rebound game on both sides. Offensive-zone rebounds but also defensive-zone rebounds and how essential those are. Our players take it to heart and execute it.”
Next weekend, RIT will play a best-of-three series at No. 1 Penn State in the AHA semifinal. The Tigers are the lowest remaining seed in the championship chase.
The other AHA quarterfinal contest saw No. 3 Syracuse defeat No. 6 Robert Morris 3-2 in double-overtime.
“This week the practice is going to be intense,” Coe said. “This last week we were battling hard and making each other better so I think that’s just going to have to continue.”
With 6:20 gone in the game, Aquaro scored the right-side rebound goal after shots by first year forwards Brac Kelley and Favro to put the Tigers ahead early.
Lindenwood graduate student Sena Takenaka was penalized for tripping with 11:47 off the clock to give RIT its first woman-up chance. Emma Pickering, regular season AHA power play goals leader (8), shot from the high slot and Rulle redirected it in.
RIT’s 31 regular season power play goals were fourth-most nationwide. Tonight, the unit went 2-for-2.
“We work on it a lot in practice, we changed it around in the beginning of the year, it wasn’t really working well,” Favro said. “Once it clicked, that group of girls, we’re all really skilled on the ice and we just continue to work on it and build on it, and it just keeps getting better.”
Favro’s first goal was redirected in off sophomore forward Addie Alvarez’s shot from above the slot, on the woman-up. Number two was fired in from near the blue line by sophomore defense Emma Pickering before Favro somehow put it in.
“I haven’t scored a tip goal the whole year, so it was nice to get one and then the second one, I don’t know,” Favro said. “I fell, and I looked up, and I see a puck coming at my face, and I mean, I got a little lucky there, but like, right place, right time, I guess…it hit me in the head, it hit right off the cage.”
The Tigers look ahead to their trip to University Park next weekend. Game 1 versus the Nittany Lions will be on Friday, Game 2 on Saturday, and Game 3 on Sunday, if necessary.
Exciting game