Big Red Add Three Players

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team has added three players to the program, with two of those players enrolling at Cornell this fall and continuing their hockey careers, announced on Friday by head coach Doug Derraugh. The Big Red will add a pair of defensemen beginning the 2009-10 season, with the third, Brianne Jenner, joining the squad starting with the 2010-11 school year.

Joining the team this fall will be Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino, both defensemen. Rougeau, a native of Beaconsfield, Quebec, and Fortino, from Hamilton, Ontario, will give the Big Red six defensemen for the upcoming year.

Jenner, meanwhile, has been selected to participate in the centralized camp for Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Jenner will join current Big Red player Rebecca Johnston in Calgary as both players will be competing for a spot on the roster for Canada in the Vancouver Olympics.

The addition of Rougeau and Fortino brings the total number of players on the Cornell roster for the 2009-10 season to 18. The Big Red opens the season with an exhibition game against the Toronto Aeros on Oct. 18 and opens the regular season a week later, playing defending national runner-up Mercyhurst in a two-game series at Lynah Rink.

Cornell Women's Hockey 2009-10 Incoming Player Biographies
Lauriane Rougeau
Defenseman - Beaconsfield, Quebec - Class of 2013
Rougeau served as captain of the U18 Canadian National Team in 2007-08 and was a member of the U22 National Team in 2008-09. She also played with the Dawson College Blues and Team Quebec last season.
Coach Doug Derraugh on Rougeau: "Her exceptional vision, game sense, poise with the puck and soft hands create time, space and offensive opportunities for her teammates and herself. She is an athletic and strong defender with exceptional technical skills and a fierce sense of competitiveness."

Laura Fortino
Defenseman - Hamilton, Ontario - Class of 2013
Fortino played for the Canadian U18 National Team in 2008-09 while also playing with Team Ontario and the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres. She played with Stoney Creek at Cornell in an exhibition contest prior to the 2008-09 season.
Coach Doug Derraugh on Fortino: "She is a dangerous offensive presence with a smooth stride and a tremendous skill set. An agile and dynamic skater with a quick stick and excellent defensive instincts, she will strengthen our open ice and small space defensive capabilities."

Brianne Jenner
Forward - Oakville, Ontario - Class of 2014
Jenner, who played during the 2008-09 season with Team Ontario, the Canadian U18 National Team and the Canadian Senior National Team, will defer enrollment at Cornell until the fall of 2010. She will spend the 2009-10 season with the Canadian National Team camp with the goal of being selected for the 2010 Olympic Team.
Coach Doug Derraugh on Jenner: "An outstanding athlete, teammate, leader, competitor, citizen and student, Brianne is a young woman determined to get the most out of her formidable abilities and drivers herself to get better at every opportunity. When she joins the Big Red in 2010, expect to see an outstanding power forward with great hands and an outstanding sense of competitive timing."