RIT Tigers women's ice hockey


The RIT Tigers women's ice hockey team is one of two hockey teams representing Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York. The team moved to NCAA Division I women's ice hockey as a member of College Hockey America after many years at Division III as part of the ECAC West conference. The Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach is former RIT player and captain Celeste Brown.

History

RIT added women's varsity hockey for the 1975–1976 season. After many years in the ECAC East, RIT moved to the ECAC West league for the 2007–08 season. The team made three NCAA tournament appearances at the Division III level, in 2007, 2011, and 2012, with a record of 5–2 in tournament games. They lost their lone game in the 2007 campaign to Amherst College. In their 2011 campaign, the lady Tigers lost at home, in the Frozen Four final, to Norwich University. In 2012, the Tigers won their first national championship, also on home ice, and also against Norwich University. It was the third-ever national championship for RIT's athletic program and first in women's sports.
On March 20, 2012, RIT announced that the women's team would move up to Division I for the 2012–13 season, as the men's team did six years prior. The Tigers have been admitted to the College Hockey America conference.
After a successful first season at the division I level going 16–16–5, even after losing their first DI game 6–2 to the Mercyhurst Lakers, the Tigers advanced to the CHA semifinals where they fell to the Syracuse Orange 2–1 in overtime. The next season was yet another season to remember. The Tigers participated in the Frozen Frontier. A 10-day hockey festival at Rochester's Frontier Field. The Tigers fell to Clarkson University 6–2. The Tigers went on to win 11 out of their last 18 to win the CHA championship 2–1 in double overtime against the team that defeated them in their first ever division I game, the Mercyhurst Lakers.
In 2014–15, their first season at the 4,300-seat Gene Polisseni Center, the Tigers went 15–19–5 and finished in last place in the CHA. But they won every game in the 2015 CHA Tournament, beating Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, and then Syracuse, 2–1 in double overtime, to capture their second straight CHA championship. The trophy this year came with the CHA's first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers fell 2–6 to the eventual champions, #2 Minnesota.
On July 10, 2018, it was announced that long-time head coach Scott McDonald would be stepping down as head coach of the women's hockey team. He left as the all-time victory leader for the women's team, compiling a 205-154-29 record in 12 seasons. Chad Davis was announced as his replacement on August 22, 2018 with former Buffalo Beauts player Hannah McGowan being hired as assistant coach. On April 30, 2020, it was reported that RIT parted ways with Davis and McGowan as coaches. Davis compiled a 24-37-9 record in two seasons as head coach.
On July 17, 2020, former RIT women's hockey player and captain Celeste Brown was named the next head coach of the program.

Year by year

YearCoachWLTConferenceConf.
W		Conf.
L		Conf.
T		FinishConference PlayoffsNCAA Tournament
2019–20Chad Davis12194CHA51325th CHALost First Round vs. Penn State Did Not Qualify
2018–19Chad Davis12185CHA81115th CHALost First Round vs. Penn State Did Not Qualify
2017–18Scott McDonald4283CHA11906th CHALost First Round vs. Syracuse Did Not Qualify
2016–17Scott McDonald7272CHA41426th CHAWon First Round vs. Penn State
Lost Semifinals vs. Syracuse 		Did Not Qualify
2015–16Scott McDonald8271CHA41516th CHALost First Round vs. Penn State Did Not Qualify
2014–15Scott McDonald15195CHA51236th CHAWon First Round vs. Robert Morris
Won Semifinals vs. Mercyhurst
Won Championship vs. Syracuse 		Lost in First Round vs. Minnesota
2013–14Scott McDonald20153CHA11723rd CHAWon First Round vs. Penn State
Won Semifinals vs. Robert Morris
Won Championship vs. Mercyhurst 		Ineligible
2012–13Scott McDonald16165CHA7853rd CHAWon First Round vs. Penn State
Lost Semifinals vs. Syracuse 		Ineligible
2011–12Scott McDonald2811D-III ECAC West16111st ECAC WestWon in Semifinal vs. Potsdam
Won Championship vs. Plattsburgh 		Won in First Round vs. Concordia
Won in Frozen Four vs. Plattsburgh
Won Championship vs. Norwich
2010–11Scott McDonald2622D-III ECAC West15121st ECAC WestWon in Semifinal vs. Utica
Won Championship vs. Plattsburgh 		Won in First Round vs. Adrian
Won in Frozen Four vs. Middlebury
Lost in Championship vs. Norwich
2009–10Scott McDonald1953D-III ECAC West13323rd ECAC WestWon in First Round vs. Potsdam
Lost in Semifinals vs. Elmira 		Did not qualify

Award winners

National

Laura Hurd Award winners

Tournament MVP

Coach of the Year

Sarah Dagg was recognized as the 2011 ECAC West Player of the Year after contributing to the Tigers program-record 26 wins. In addition, she helped the Tigers to their first conference regular season and post-season championships. Her points total for the season was 18 goals and 24 assists in 30 games.
In her senior season, Dagg advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division III Championship game. In her four seasons at RIT, the Tigers accumulated a won-loss record of 85–17–7, while finishing as the Tigers all-time leading scorer. Her career totals stand at 63 goals and 91 assists, while competing in 109 games. She is the Tigers all-time assists leader while recording three consecutive forty point seasons. In addition, she is second all-time at RIT with 20 power-play goals, while she stands tied at first place in shorthanded goals with nine.

CWHL Draft picks

Professional signings