Cornell Welcomes Six as Class of 2014

Photo by Jim Rosvold

ITHACA, N.Y. – Coming off the most successful season in program history, the Cornell women’s hockey team will add six players to the roster for the 2010-11 season, announced on Thursday by head coach Doug Derraugh. Three forwards, two defenders and one goaltender will provide additional depth in all areas of the ice as the Big Red will make another run toward the national championship.

After a heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the 2010 NCAA Championship game, the Big Red will attempt to take the final step with the six-member class, including one player, Brianne Jenner, who was centralized in training with the Canadian Olympic Team, and a pair of players from the Canadian U18 National Team in forward Jessica Campbell and defenseman Hayleigh Cudmore.

The class includes three Canadian and three American-born players, with Akwesasne, N.Y., native Olivia Cook joining as one of the three forwards.

Cornell will also be boosted by the return of Rebecca Johnston, who took a leave of absence from school last season and was a member of the Canadian Olympic team that won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Johnston will be a junior on the Big Red roster this fall.

Cornell lost four players from the 2009-10 national runner-up team that clinched the first ECAC Hockey regular-season and tournament titles in program history. The Big Red accomplished numerous firsts a year ago, including winning its first league tournament games in program history, advancing to the NCAA tournament and moving on to the NCAA Frozen Four. The Big Red will have to replace forwards Laura Danforth, Melanie Jue and Liz Zorn along with defenseman Kelly McGinty from last season’s team.


Incoming Players at a Glance
By position: 3 forwards, 2 defensemen, 1 goaltender
By State/Province/Country: 2 Ontario, 1 New Hampshire, 1 New York, 1 North Carolina, 1 Saskatchewan

**  incoming player biographies follow  **

Cornell Women’s Hockey 2010-11 Incoming Player Roster

Cornell Women’s Hockey 2010-11 Incoming Player Biographies
Jessica Campbell – Forward / 5-4  - Melville, Saskatchewan
( Pursuit of Excellence (B.C.), Saskatchewan U18, Canada U18)
Campbell served as team captain of the Canadian U18 national team that won a gold medal at the world championships in 2010, being named the tournament’s most valuable player. She also earned a silver medal at the world championships in 2009. Campbell played in 41 games for Pursuit of Excellence, scoring 57 goals and 47 assists for 104 points, and was a three-year member of Team Saskatchewan, twice serving as team captain.

Olivia Cook – Forward / 5-3 – Akwesasne, N.Y.
(Nepean Wildcats, Ontario South)
Cook played the 2009-10 season with the Nepean Wildcats, appearing in 54 games and scoring 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points while collecting 34 minutes in penalties. She also played with the Ontario South in the Canadian Aboriginal Hockey Championships, winning a bronze medal at the championships. A multi-sport star, Cook also lettered in soccer and basketball at Salmon River Central School, earning a spot on the school’s Athletic Wall of Honor and earning team MVP honors in both basketball and soccer. She also won three state titles in hockey at Salmon River from 2006 through 2008.

Hayleigh Cudmore – Defenseman / 5-4 – Oakville, Ontario
(Oakville Ice, Ontario U18, Canada U18)
As a defenseman, Cudmore led the Oakville Ice in scoring in 2009-10, appearing in 34 games and scoring seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. She was also a member of the Ontario U18 team and played on the Canadian U18 team that won a gold medal at the world championships. Cudmore also played four years of basketball and two years of rugby in high school, winning a Halton Championship in hockey twice and once in rugby.
 
Alyssa Gagliardi – Defenseman / 5-5 – Raleigh, N.C.
(Shattuck-St. Mary’s)
Gagliardi spent four years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, winning a USA Hockey national championship in 2009 and finishing as runner-up in 2010. She also served as the captain of the girls U16 team as a sophomore and an assistant captain of the girls U19 team as a senior. Gagliardi also received the team’s Holsinger Sportsmanship Award as a senior. She appeared in 36 games, scoring eight goals and adding 25 assists for 33 points with 18 minutes in penalties.

Brianne Jenner – Forward / 5-9 – Oakville, Ontario
(Canada U22, Canada Senior National Team)
Jenner was centralized with the Canadian National Team in the buildup to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, being one of the final players released from the team. She also played with the Canadian U22 National Team, helping that squad to a gold medal at the 2010 MLP Cup in Ravensburg, Germany. A four-time member of the Ontario U18 team, she claimed three national championships. Jenner also played basketball and soccer in school before focusing her efforts on hockey.

Lauren Slebodnick – Goaltender / 5-8 – Manchester, N.H.
(Cushing Academy)
Slebodnick was a two-time winner of the team’s Defensive Award at Cushing Academy while also serving as team captain. She also won the team’s sportsmanship award as a junior. She was also selected to attend the Warren Strelow Natioanl Team Goaltending Camp in the summer of 2010 for the top United States goaltenders eligible for international play.