Thursday, September 5, 2013

WIHC Announces Second Roster

Geosciences and biogeochemistry scholar Elizabeth Denis, a former NCAA player at Brown, returns.

The ACHA Women's Division 2 Penn State Women's Ice Hockey Club has announced a roster for the coming season, one that presents both challenges and opportunity.

The primary challenge involves making up the offensive production of Devon Fisk and Mandy Mortach, as PSU's top two scorers from 2012-2013 both decided to not play this season. There's really no other way to slice it: their combined 26 goals will either need to be replaced somehow or sorely missed. They weren't garbage-time tallies either - in the team's run to the ACHA national championship game in March, Fisk scored the winner against top-seeded Alaska in the tournament opener to serve notice. Mortach followed with a pair in a win over Wisconsin-Stout the next day, and in a rematch with the Blue Devils in the semifinals, Fisk may have scored with Penn State 8:40 from elimination to force an ultimately successful overtime (whether or not she touched Tara Soukup's power play blast on the way through is a point of some uncertainty, but at the very least, it was a good screen).

On the other side of the ledger, the team's defense and goaltending should be good. Really, really good. Starting in the crease, both netminders return. Katie Vaughan and Sarah Eisenhut are two of the ACHA's best, with the former winning All-American (honorable mention) and All-Tournament (second team) honors as a junior. While Vaughan was the usual starter a year ago, neither had a save percentage under 0.923 or a goals against average over 1.51.

In front of Vaughan and Eisenhut, Soukup, Ashton Shaffer, Allie Rothman and Jackie Saideh will try to carry on their status as one of the nation's top defenses. Reinforcements will help the WIHC run three pairs deep, as former Tier 1 player Kim Badorrek, Princeton Tiger Lilies alumna Cassie Dunne and Anna Marcus, an all-conference selection at Ridgefield (CT) High School last year, come on board. As stellar as the goalie stats were in 2012-2013, there's good reason to believe they'll be even better in the coming campaign.

There is promise in the forward group, even without Fisk and Mortach. For starters, Carly Szyszko is back for one more go as someone with proven scoring ability who simply does not get outworked. Former goaltender Mary Kate Tonetti enjoyed a very good first year ever without the pads and will only grow as a threat. Elizabeth Denis averaged a goal every other game after joining the team in the middle of last season and brings a physical dimension as well. The new players up front include Sam Summers, who previously played 48 games in two seasons (2009-2011) as a member of the Lady Icers. Once, on January 21, 2011, she enjoyed a three-point game in a 5-1 win over now-conference rival Cal (PA) that gave Szyszko a goaltending win (both of PSU's regular goalies were in Turkey for the World University Games at the time).

Other newcomers include Lucy Yeatman, Hannah Dier and Geneva Wagoner. Wagoner played for Millbrook School in New York, the New England prep Division II runners-up a year ago while Yeatman showed promise with the Chester County Skating Club.

Here's the full squad, which will open up in the Pegula Ice Arena's Community Rink against Liberty on September 27th at 10:15 p.m.

No.
Name
Pos.ClassShoots
Hometown
Last Team
1
Katie Vaughan
G
Sr.
Left
Pittsburgh, PA
Team Pittsburgh
3
Anna Marcus
D
Fr.
Right
Ridgefield, CT
Ridgefield HS
5
Nina Elia
F
So.
Right
Skaneatles, NY
Skaneatles HS
6
Geneva Wagoner
F
Fr.
Right
Alexandria Bay, NY
Millbrook School
8
Jackie Saideh
D
So.
Right
Concord, MA
Concord-Carlisle HS
9
Ashton Schaffer
D
Jr.
Left
Midlothian, TX
Alliance Bulldogs
11
Mary Kate Tonetti
F
Jr.
Right
West Chester, PA
West Chester Quakers
12
Taylor Nyman
F
Jr.
Right
Souderton, PA
Hatfield Angels
14
Carly Szyszko
F
Sr.
Left
Bensalem, PA
New Jersey Colonials
15
Hannah Dier
F
Fr.
Right
Wall, NJ
Wall HS
18
Kim Badorrek
D
Sr.
Right
Altoona, PA
Team Pittsburgh
19
Tara Soukup
D
So.
Left
Pittsburgh, PA
Ohio Flames
20
Allie Rothman
D
Sr.
Right
West Chester, PA
West Chester Quakers
23
Lucy Yeatman
F
Fr.
Right
Avondale, PA
CCSC Cougars
28
Elizabeth Denis
F
Gr.
Left
Durham, NH
Brown University
31
Sarah Eisenhut
G
Jr.
Left
Lansing, NY
Ithaca Shooting Stars
33
Cassie Dunne
D
Fr.
Right
Wyndmoor, PA
Princeton Tiger Lilies
36
Sam Summers
F
Sr.
Right
Ellicott City, MD
Susquehanna Rapids

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