Looking to continue its climb up the ranks of the ECAC Hockey elite, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team returns a solid core of veterans and a wealth of rookie talent to achieve its goals in 2008-09.

Among those returning for the Engineers, who went 13-15-5 in their second season as a member of ECAC Hockey, are ten forwards, three defensemen and three goaltenders. Seven newcomers, including four on offense and three blueliners join the team this fall.

Returning eight of its top ten scorers from a year ago, the Engineers feature a complete lineup with the talent and drive needed to compete at the highest level.

THE FORWARDS
The Engineers will once again look to its offensive front to make a statement in the ECAC Hockey standings, as they return ten forwards and bring in four more. Senior Nicole McDonald (Ottawa, ON/Ottawa Raiders), the team's leading goal scorer in 2007-08, leads an offense which ranked 25th nationally with 2.15 goals per game. A gritty skater and solid play maker, McDonald battled through a pre-season illness to score 10 goals while adding five assists for 15 points in 32 games as a junior.

Junior Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington-Jefferson), the team's leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, and sophomore Kendra Dunlop (Granum, AB/Warner Hockey School) both had outstanding seasons in 2007-08. Naslund led the team in assists (14) and points (22) and also had eight goals, including two shorthanded. A quick skater with natural hockey instincts, she ranked fourth in the league in shorthanded points per game (0.06).

Dunlop, a crafty winger with excellent vision, posted 15 points in her freshman campaign, tallying a team-best 10 goals with five assists. She had three power play markers and was second on the squad in game-winning goals with two. Dunlop ranked 11th among the league's freshmen in points per game (0.47).

Rounding out the top five returning scoring forwards are juniors Allison Wright (Oakville, ON/Oakville Ice) and Allysen Weidner (Wichita, KS/Shattuck St. Mary's). One of the top two-way players on the squad, Wright had 15 points, including seven goals and eight assists. Eleven of her 15 points came against league opponents, good for second on the team. Weidner, a versatile winger with a powerful shot, had eight goals, including four on the power play, and four assists for 12 points.

Senior Jamie-Lynn Stewart (Cambridge, ON/Cambridge Jr. Fury), junior Rossli Chace (Hampton Falls, NH/Governor Dummer Academy) and sophomore Sydney O'Keefe (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake) also contributed last season. Stewart had eight points (3 goals, 5 assists), Chace added five points (1 goal, 4 assists) while O'Keefe had three points (3 assists).

Sophomore Ashley Gaylord (Claverack, NY/Troy-Albany Ice Cats) and junior Jodi Yaworski (Calgary, AB/Choate Rosemary Hall), each of whom played a significant role last season, also return to the lineup.
Expected to make an immediate impact up front are Laura Guillemette (Ste. Marie-de-Beauce, PQ/Notre Dame), Alisa Harrison (Vienna, VA/Washington Pride), Kristen Jakubowski (Lake Placid, NY/Northwood School) and Jill Vandegrift (St. Paul, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds). Together, these four players bring a skilled and competitive style of play that will compliment the returning offensive group.

THE DEFENSEMEN
Anchoring the Rensselaer's defensive core will be two of the team's top scoring blueliners in senior Melissa Boik (Allen Park, MI/Michigan Capitals) and junior Laura Gersten (Queensbury, NY/Troy-Albany Ice Cats).

A dominating physical presence with talent on both ends of the ice, Boik posted three goals and nine assists for a career-high 12 points enroute to earning the team's Most Valuable Player award in 2007-08. Gersten, an offensive-minded blueliner with great puck poise, returns as the team's top scoring defenseman. Her 16 points on five goals and 11 assists was good for tenth overall among the league's defenseman.

Rounding out the returning defensive unit is veteran Jaime Jacquard-Sowa (North Vancouver, BC/BC Breakers), a senior, who added an assist while appearing in 32 games last year.

Combined, two of the three incoming freshmen helped their previous teams win the last four U-19 National Championships. Katie Daniels (Rockton, IL/Chicago Mission), who captained her squad, won in 2007-08 while Amanda Castignetti (Anchorage, AK/Shattuck St. Mary's) helped her team to three consecutive titles from 2004-07. Sierra Vadner (Apple Valley, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds), an offensive-minded player with good speed, rounds out the newcomers.

THE GOALTENDERS
All three netminders return, led by the tandem of Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) and Sonja van der Bliek (Toronto, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros).

Mayr, a senior, appeared in 19 games as a junior. She was 4-11-3 with a 2.72 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. An All-ECAC Third Team selection in 2006-07, she backstopped the Engineers in several key games. Starting each of the last six games of the season, Mayr helped garner the program's first-ever point against nationally-ranked Dartmouth in a 1-1 draw in Hanover.

Classmate Emily Ford (Plymouth, MA/Tabor Academy) did not see any action last year as the team's third goaltender, but appeared in five games as a sophomore and six as a freshman.

van der Bliek, a sophomore, was 9-4-2 in 15 games, including 14 starts as a rookie. She had a 1.33 average, a .939 save percentage and finished the season ranked fourth nationally in goals against average and third in save percentage.

THE COACHING STAFF
John Burke, who is the program's all-time winningest coach (83-54-11), returns for his sixth season. He led the team to a 13-15-5 mark in 2007-08, including a 6-12-4 record in ECAC Hockey. The team eclipsed the all-time ties record, previously set in 2003-04, and saw a league-high 20 student-athletes earn All-Academic recognition.

Since elevating to Division I, Burke has guided the program to a 43-43-8 record, including an 18-6-2 mark in its inaugural season (2005-06) and a 12-22-1 record in 2006-07. The Engineers have advanced to the playoffs three times during his tenure, including its first as a member of ECAC Hockey in 2006-07.
The program has seen 13 players earn All-League honors while two Engineers have been selected as National All-Americans.

Burke is assisted by Colette Bredin, who works with the forwards, and Shivaun Siegl, an aide to the defense. Bredin is entering her third year while Siegl begins her first with the program. Bredin, a former standout at Cornell, spent four years at the University of New Hampshire prior to arriving in Troy, while Siegl, a former standout at Vermont, comes to RPI after serving as an assistant at Rochester Insititue of Technology.

THE SCHEDULE
The Engineers, who are in their third season in ECAC Hockey, will play 35 games, including 17 at the Houston Field House.

RPI opens its schedule with exhibition games against the Toronto Aeros and Stoney Creek on September 26 and 27, respectively. The Engineers open their regular season slate on October 3 when Northeastern comes to Troy. Boston University is in town the next day, followed by the Skate with the Engineers later that night. Rensselaer then travels to Boston College (Oct. 11) before playing a two-game set at Mercyhurst (Oct. 17-18).

RPI begins a four-game homestand the following weekend, welcoming Niagara for a pair of games (Oct. 24-25), before kicking off its 22-game ECAC Hockey schedule against Brown (Oct. 31) and Yale (Nov. 1).

The Engineers play three of their next four games on the road, beginning with Harvard (Nov. 7) and Dartmouth (Nov. 8). Rensselaer hosts area-rival Union on November 15 and travels to Schenectady the following day to complete the home-and-home series. A pair of non-league contests at Robert Morris (Nov. 21-22) and games at Quinnipiac (Dec. 5) and Princeton (Dec. 6) close out the fall semester.
Following a month-long layoff, Rensselaer returns to the ice in its first in-season tournament, the Easton/St. Cloud State Showcase. The Engineers face North Dakota on January 2 and play St. Cloud State the following day. Princeton (Jan. 9) and Quinnipiac (Jan. 10) come to the Field House the following weekend.

After games at Colgate (Jan. 16) and Cornell (Jan. 17), Rensselaer returns home for a four-game league set, beginning with Clarkson (Jan. 23) and St. Lawrence (Jan. 24). The Engineers wrap up January with Dartmouth and Harvard on the 30th and 31st, respectively.
Rensselaer returns to the road for its next four games, including trips to Yale (Feb. 13) and Brown (Feb. 14), before closing out the regular season at home on February 20-21 vs. Cornell and Colgate, respectively.

SCHEDULE NOTES
Rensselaer plays 13 non-league games, including two exhibition contests … Six of those games are at home … Four of the teams on RPI's schedule played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament ... They are Dartmouth, Harvard, Mercyhurst and St. Lawrence … The Engineers play two games against Canadian teams, three versus Hockey East foes, two games against a WCHA opponent, six versus schools from College Hockey America and 22 against ECAC teams … Rensselaer plays 16 games on Fridays, 18 on Saturdays and one on a Sunday … The Engineers play two games in September and December, eight in October, seven in November, 10 in January and six in February. … The league playoffs are from February 27 to March 8 … The NCAA Tournament runs from March 13 to March 22 ... Select games are broadcast live on WRPI, 91.5 FM, and on the Internet at www.wrpi.org ... Most home games will be webcast by B2 Networks on a pay-per-view basis.