Women's Hockey | 1/5/2015 1:13:00 PM
Pittsburgh, Pa. –
Robert Morris University women's hockey head coach
Paul Colontino has announced the signing of seven student-athletes of National Letters of Intent (NLI).
Lauren Bailey (Freeland, Mich. / Mid Fairfield U19), Victoria Harshman (Owen Sound, Ontario / Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins), Maggie Lague (Barre, Vt. / North American Hockey Academy), Sarah Quaranta (Niagara Falls, Ontario / Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres), Amber Rennie (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan / Notre Dame Hounds), Caitlyn Sadowy (Woodbridge, Ontario / Mississauga Jr. Chiefs), Kirsten Welsh (Blackstock, Ontario / Whitby Jr. Wolves) will join the Colonials for the 2015-16 academic year.
"We're very excited about this class coming in," said Colontino. "Assistant coaches
Logan Bittle and
Chelsea Walkland have done a wonderful job addressing the needs of the program by attracting and bringing in excellent student-athletes, and more importantly great people. We're excited for the class to arrive next fall and looking forward to the next four years with them."
Bailey, a goaltender, will arrive at Robert Morris after playing with Mid Fairfield U19 and Choate Rosemary Hall. She won a state championship in 2014 with Mid Fairfield and was named MVP of the 2013 Mid Fairfield Stars Summer Tournament. Last season at Choate Rosemary Hall, Bailey earned the team's Excellence in Hockey Award after posting a 15-6-3 record with a goals against average of 1.08, seven shutouts, and a .969 save percentage. The netminder native has also attended five USA Hockey national camps from 2009 to 2013, and took part in the 2012 Warren Strelow Goaltending Camp. In addition to her ice hockey success, Bailey has also earned varsity letters in field hockey and lacrosse.
Harshman, a forward, has played in the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL) for three years. She has tallied five goals and nine assists through 23 games this season with the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins, and won Team Player MVP honors at the Stoney Creek Classic. Last season with the Barrie Jr. Sharks, Harshman paced the team in assists with 15 and finished second in goals with seven. She was a 2014-15 Team Ontario invitee and is a certified Level 6 Power Skating senior assistant instructor with CanSkate.
Lague, a defenseman, will join
Katherine Murphy as North American Hockey Academy products to don the RMU colors. She serves as the captain of the NAHA White team this season after collecting five goals and 25 assists in 2013-14. Lague has helped lead NAHA White to the last two Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL) championships and a 2014 Challenge Cup title. The Green Mountain State native has participated in four USA National Player Development Camps from 2010 to 2013, and attended its all-star game in 2011. She also played in the JWHL All-Star Game last year.
Quaranta, a forward, is currently playing in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's U18 World Championships with Team Canada. She has tallied 15 goals and seven assists through 33 games in 2014-15, and collected 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 48 games last season. With her PWHL team the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres, Quaranta has won an assortment of medals, claiming gold at the KW USA Canada Cup, silver at the 2014 Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA) Thanksgiving Tournament, and bronze at the 2013 Provincials. She earned back-to-back High School Hockey MVP awards at St. Paul in 2011 and 2012, and was named Niagara Falls Athlete of the Year in 2009. Quaranta has also been an honour roll student since 2010.
Rennie, a forward, will be the first Colonial to hail from Saskatchewan since Daneca Butterfield from 2007 to 2011. Last season for the Notre Dame Hounds, she tallied 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) and didn't collect a single penalty minute. In 2013, Rennie skated with Saskatchewan at the National Women's Under-18 Championships in Calgary. Rennie also earned MVP honors with the Saskatoon Stars in 2012-13 after scoring 12 goals and adding 12 assists in 34 games.
Sadowy, a forward, has collected 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) through 24 games with the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs this season. In 2013-14, she scored 11 goals and dished out 12 assists to help lead the Chiefs to a Provincial championship. Sadowy has also earned silver medals with Mississauga in the 2014 PWHL playoffs and 2013 Provincials. At Everest Academy, the Woodbridge, Ontario native was honored with the 2014 Business Award and the 2014 Principals Award.
Welsh, a defenseman, is an assistant captain of the Whitby Jr. Wolves, who have won two consecutive PWHL championships, defeating Sadowy's Chiefs in the Alumni Cup championship game last season. She was a plus-45 through 69 games in 2013-14, tallying eight goals and 21 assists. Welsh has participated in two U-18 National Team Selection Camps and will suit up for Team Ontario at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. She also earned a silver medal at the 2013 National Women's Under-18 Championship with Team Ontario Blue. Welsh serves as the captain of her high school team at Port Perry and was an honour roll student in 2013-14.
Robert Morris returns to College Hockey America (CHA) play this weekend as it travels to RIT. The first meeting between the Colonials and Tigers is set for a 3:00 p.m. opening faceoff on Friday, Jan. 9 from the Gene Polisseni Center.
