Clarkson Looks to Challenge for Top Spot

Photo by Chris Lenney

After bowing out of last season with a pair of tough, one-goal setbacks in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team will be out to turn the close games in its favor this year and enjoy a breakthrough campaign in 2009-10. With co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers entering their second year in leading the program, the Golden Knights believe they have the talent and experience at hand to take their play to the next level this winter.

Seventeen letterwinners, led by a pair of ECAC All-Stars, return from last year’s squad, which posted a 16-14-6 overall record, including a seventh-place 10-8-4 ECAC mark. Clarkson went 4-9-6 in 19 games decided by one-goal-or-less last season, and ended the year in the postseason with a 4-3 overtime loss and a 2-1 defeat at Top-10 ranked St. Lawrence.

Leading Clarkson this season will be senior forward Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT), who will serve as the Knights’ captain, and senior defenseman Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT), who will act as an assistant captain. Third-team 2009 ECAC All-Stars, Selina and Eusepi are among the nine veterans on the squad who participated two years ago in the ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament.

The Desrosiers have also added three freshmen and a senior transfer, a former Hockey East Player of the Year, to help boost the Green and Gold’s effort. "We are extremely excited about the four student-athletes coming to Clarkson this season," stated the Shannon 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."

Clarkson will have to be in top form throughout the season as it faces the most difficult schedule yet in the seven-year history of the program, battling some of the premier teams in the NCAA.

Along with the always spirited 22-game conference slate in ECAC Hockey, the Golden Knights will compete against a formidable non-league schedule, featuring games against the three other conference regular season champions. The Green and Gold will play 11 of their 34 games against teams that competed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

"Shannon has done a great job putting together another very tough schedule for next season," stated Matt Desrosiers. "We are extremely excited to be playing some of the top teams in their respective conferences as well as in the country. One of our goals is to participate in the NCAA tournament and go as far as we can, so we feel there is no better way to prepare and achieve that goal than by playing the teams that have been there. Teams like Mercyhurst and the University of Minnesota, who both participated in Boston at the Frozen Four last year, will be great tests for us. We are also looking to use these difficult out of conference games to help get us ready for yet another challenging ECAC schedule."

After a preseason contest on September 26, Clarkson will officially open the schedule on October 2-3 with a two-game series in Potsdam against Boston College, an NCAA Tournament participant last winter and one of the top five teams in Hockey East that the Knights will play this season.

Clarkson will play 17 games at Cheel Arena, including nine of its first 11. The Knights post a .662 winning percentage at home with a 62-29-11 record at Cheel through the first six years.

ECAC Hockey play begins on Tuesday, October 27 with Clarkson hosting North Country rival St. Lawrence University.

FORWARDS
Clarkson’s all-time leading scorer, Selina will spearhead the Green and Gold’s offense, which returns 12 veteran forwards. The Knights’ leading playmaker last year with a school-record 27 assists, Selina finished with 37 points last year, and has amassed 112 career points on 40 goals and 72 assists through 108 games. "Britney will be a major factor in the current and continued success of the Clarkson Women’s hockey program," stated Matt Desrosiers. "She is not just an offensive player; she is arguably our best defensive player as well. Britney is strong, tough and has a work ethic that is second to none. "

Senior Genevieve Lavoie (Delson, QUE) will be looking to join Selina early this season in the Knights’ coveted Century Club. A standout, power forward through her first three years, Lavoie enters her final collegiate campaign with 98 career points on 42 goals and 56 assists through 109 games. She tallied 24 points, including 17 assists last season.

A natural goal scorer and a dangerous force on the power play, junior Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) has been one of Clarkson’s most productive forwards the past two years and should be even better this winter. She recorded 15 goals and 16 assists last year, and has led the Green and Gold in power-play goals in each of her first two seasons, netting nine as a freshman and seven as a sophomore.

Sophomore Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) made a big impression in her inaugural collegiate campaign and was named to ECAC Hockey’s All-Rookie Team. She was Clarkson’s third-leading scorer with 33 points, scoring 18 goals to go along with 15 assists. A complete all-around player, Baribeau was invited to Hockey Canada’s U-22 camp this summer.

As a senior Ashleigh Moorehead (Clinton, NY) will provide the Knights experience up front. She possesses the size, strength and speed to make an impact in her final collegiate campaign. Juniors Daris Tendler (Verwood, SASK) and Caitlin Oleksa (Battle Creek, MI) have been steady role players on Clarkson’s checking lines the past two years, and are assets to Clarkson’s strong defensive play.

Kali Gillanders (Kyle, SASK), Gabrielle Kosziwka (Limehouse, ONT) and Danielle Boudreau (Whitby, ONT) are coming off solid rookie debuts last season and should be even better as sophomores with the year of experience under their belts. Gillanders (4-4) and Kosziwka (2-6) shared the rookie scoring lead for the Knights putting up eight points apiece. Boudreau was among Clarkson’s top performers at the faceoff dot, winning 55% of her draws (93-75), while also recording four goals and three assists. She will also see time on defense.

Brittany Mulligan (London, ONT) was on pace for a strong rookie campaign, but was sidelined by illness for much of the second half of last season. Returning in superb shape, Mulligan, who tallied six points (2-4) in 22 games, should be a steady force up front as a sophomore. Meg Omand (Cold Lake, ALB) gained valuable playing time last year as a freshman and should enjoy a solid second season at Clarkson.

A senior transfer from the University of Connecticut, Dominique Thibault (L’Original, ONT) will have a great impact on the Green and Gold, and help make up for the graduation loss of Clarkson’s all-time leading goal scorer Marie-Jo Gaudet. A three-year standout with the Huskies, Thibault compiled 112 career points on 62 goals and 50 assists. She earned a spot on the All-Hockey East Second-Team last season after leading her team in scoring for the second consecutive season by scoring 24 goals and adding 14 assists for 38 points. Thibault was a 2008 Second Team RBK All-American, Hockey East, TPS Player of the Year, and selected a member of the New England Hockey Writers Division I Women's All-Star team in her sophomore campaign.

Freshman Danielle Skirrow (Trenton, ONT) should also make an impact in the scoring column for the Knights after two productive seasons with the Durham Junior Lightning in the PWHL. She finished in the top ten in scoring and tallied over 30 goals each of those years.

DEFENSE
Solid, disciplined play in its own end has always been a hallmark of Clarkson. Consistently ranked among the top defenses in the nation, the Knights allowed just 1.94 goals per game overall last year – 9th in the country. In league play, the Green and Gold were even stingier, giving up 1.73 GPG – 2nd in the ECAC.

Clarkson will miss the services of last year’s captain, Kimberly McKenney, who played a strong role on the blueline the past four years. However with the return of four experienced veterans, the Knights should once again be a top defensive squad.

Eusepi, a two-time third-team ECAC All-Star selection, has been a mainstay in Clarkson’s defensive end and should enjoy another standout season. The Knights’ career scoring leader from the blueline, Eusepi has recorded 54 points, including 42 assists through 108 games. The assistant captain also boasts a career +36 plus/minus rating. Last year, she notched 13 points, including 11 assists.

A junior transfer from Wayne State last season, Tegan Schroeder (Lumsden, SASK) made a solid debut on the Golden Knights’ blueline as a stay-at-home defenseman. She tallied six points and five assists skating in 33 games. Junior Courtney Olson (Brunswick, GA) has steadily improved and plays an aggressive game which frustrates opposing forwards.

Coming off a very strong rookie campaign, Katelyn Ptolemy (Dinsmore, SASK) possesses the skills to be among the top rearguards in the ECAC as a sophomore. As the lone freshman on the Knights’ blueline last season, she skated in all 36 games, recording six assists and a +5 rating. Ptolemy has seen action in several international tournaments and was invited to Hockey Canada’s U-22 camp this summer.

Freshman Hailey Wood (Lethbridge, ALB) should add to Clarkson’s offensive production from the blueline after scoring 61 points (14-47) last season for the North American Hockey Academy Winter Hawks out of Stowe, VT. Previously she played at Warner Hockey School and has been a two-time member of Team Alberta, as well as an invitee to the Canadian Under-18 conditioning camp.

GOAL
The Knights will once again be strong between the pipes with the return of two-year letterwinner, junior Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY). Boasting some of the best stats in the nation through her first two years, Dahm provides Clarkson with steady, solid play in the crease. She emerged as the Knights number one goaltender last season, starting 28 games, including the final 11 contests. A nominee for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as college hockey’s best player, Dahm posted a .926 save percentage, a 1.75 goals against average and a 12-12-5 record, including five shutouts through 29 games. As a freshman, she led the country with the best GAA (1.03) and held the fourth-best save percentage (.939).

Freshman Kelsey Neumann (China Grove, NC) will push for playing time, coming to Clarkson after three seasons as the starting goaltender the North American Hockey Academy. Through 150 career games with the Winter Hawks, Neumann posted a 1.16 GAA and a .930 save percentage, and amassing 54 shutouts.