Clarkson Class of 2013 Comprises Four Recruits

Photo by Jim Meagher

Entering their second season guiding the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team, co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers have added four student-athletes for the upcoming year. Joining the Golden Knights are forwards Danielle Skirrow and Dominique Thibault, defenseman Hailey Wood and goaltender Kelsey Neumann.

"We are extremely excited about the four student-athletes coming to Clarkson this season," stated the Desrosiers.  "They are all tremendous hockey players, but more importantly they are great people as well.  They will bring a lot to our program and help us compete for the ECAC title."

Danielle Skirrow - Fr., F, Trenton, Ont. (Durham Junior Lightning)

Skirrow played the last two seasons for the Durham Junior Lightning in the PWHL where she finished within the top ten in scoring and tallied over 30 goals each of these years.  She finished second in league goal scoring during the ‘08-‘09 season and fourth the previous year.

Athletically, Skirrow has seen her fair share of awards and accolades.  She was a two time attendee at the Canadian National U18 Selection Camps, was a member of the gold-medal-winning Team Ontario Red at the Canadian Under-18 championships, was named Female Athlete of the Year, received MVP honors at her high school for both rugby and hockey in grades 10, 11, and 12, and then for soccer in grade 12, and also won OFSAA championships in grade 11 and 12 for rugby.  

Academically, Danielle has been an Ontario Scholar every year in high school and also received business achievement and business potential awards at graduation.

Skirrow said, "I chose Clarkson because the atmosphere in the arena was incredible. As soon as I walked into a game there I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The coaches are great and the school itself; the size, location, and program are exactly what I was looking for.  Clarkson also has a great academic reputation so I knew I would receive a good education."

Dominique Thibault - Sr., F, L'Original, Ont. (University of Connecticut)

Thibault comes to the Knights after transferring from the University of Connecticut where she played for the past three seasons compiling 112 career points on 62 goals and 50 assists. 

As a junior, Thibault earned a spot on the All-Hockey East Second-Team after leading her team in scoring for the second consecutive season by scoring 24 goals and adding 14 assists for 38 points. She also competed with the Canadian Under-22 Team at the 2009 MLP Cup in Ravensburg Germany where she was a teammate of current Golden Knight Katelyn Ptolemy. 

As a sophomore, Dominique played in 33 games recording a new program record for points in a single season and a league-high 48 points, including 24 goals and 24 assists.  That year she was named a Second Team RBK All-American, Hockey East TPS Player of the Year, and a member of the New England Hockey Writers Division I Women's All-Star team.  She was also a member of the U-22 Canadian National Team.

As a freshman, Thibault saw action in 33 games, missing two January contests to play in Germany with the Canadian National U-22 Team.  She scored 14 goals and added 11 assists for 25 points and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team.

Thibault said, "I chose Clarkson because they have a great rising hockey program and I believe we will have the potential to win an ECAC title and compete for a national championship.  Also, the coaching staff seems very knowledgeable and fun." 

Hailey Wood - Fr., D, Lethbridge, Alta. (North American Hockey Academy)

Wood played last season for the North American Hockey Academy Winter Hawks out of Stowe VT where she scored 61 points on 14 goals and 47 assists.  Previously she played at Warner Hockey School near her home town of Lethbridge Alberta. She has been a two time member of Team Alberta as well as an invitee to the Canadian Under-18 conditioning camp.

Wood said, "I chose Clarkson because of the small campus, the intensity and emphasis of the hockey program, the great team chemistry, and the coaching staff's dedication to the team both on and off the ice." 

Kelsey Neumann - Fr., G, China Grove, NC. (North American Hockey Academy)

Neumann has played the last three seasons for the North American Hockey Academy Winter Hawks where she played in 150 games totaling 6630 minutes.  Over her three years at NAHA she achieved a career GAA of 1.16, a save percentage of .930 and amassed 54 shutouts.  Kelsey was also in net for two Assabet Tournament championships, two JWHL championships, and two Cornwall Typhoon tournament championships.  Prior to NAHA she was a member of the Madison Capitals Bantam AAA boys' team that participated at Nationals.  Kelsey is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Neumann said, "I chose Clarkson because of the small, personal, hands on approach to learning that they provide with a great education. As far as hockey goes, after going to a game, it was fun to see the excitement of the crowd and the energy that the pep band brings to the games. But the biggest thing that attracted me to Clarkson was the coaching staff. They offer a great balance of experience having a former forward and a defenseman as head coaches and the fact that the assistant coach is also a former goalie was huge for me.  I am really looking forward to this coming season and my next four years as a Golden Knight."

Clarkson, led by senior captain Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT), officially opens the 2009-10 campaign on Friday, October 2 when it hosts Boston College at Cheel Arena in a 7:00 p.m. contest