Women's Hockey | 8/9/2018 6:13:00 PM

PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris women's hockey team has announced that six freshmen will be on its official roster for the 2018-19 season.

Forwards Courtney Kollman, Mackenzie Krasowski and Leah Marino, defenders Wasyn Rice and Gillian Thompson and goaltender Arielle DeSmet are joining the program for its upcoming campaign, which unofficially begins with a 7:05 p.m. EDT exhibition game Sat., Sept. 22 against the Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) at the RMU Island Sports Center.

"We are excited to welcome our incoming freshmen to campus and start their journeys through the next four years. This year's class is comprised of outstanding people and outstanding student-athletes," head coach Paul Colontino said. "[Associate head coach] Logan Bittle and [assistant coach] Chelsea Walkland have once again done an incredible job in identifying the athlete, the student and the person that will help ensure the continued progress of our exceptional culture and team chemistry.

"This year's class has displayed a high level of skill and leadership throughout their careers, both of which we expect to continue here at RMU."

Kollman (Calgary, Alberta//Edge School), 5'4", committed to RMU after a highly decorated amateur hockey career fueled by her family's rich history of involvement with the sport. Following her coronation as the Most Sportsmanlike Player in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League for the 2017-18 season, her CSSHL Most Valuable Player nomination and her second consecutive team MVP award, she represented her country at the recent Under-18 World Championship games in Russia.

Her father, Tim Kollman, was the last member of her family to play NCAA Division I hockey, doing so for Alaska Anchorage 1988-1991. Her grandfather, Ken Bracko, served as president of the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) 1985-2015, earning a Centennial Cup championship in 1995 and Calgary Booster Club Sportsman of the Year honors in 2014.

Furthermore, two of her uncles, Barry and Carey Bracko, have played at the Canadian collegiate and Midget AAA levels, respectively, while the latter was general manager of the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Calgary Hitmen 1997-98.

"My dad has had the most influence on my hockey career. He played hockey at a high level, which inspired me to play and carry on the family tradition. Along the way he has always encouraged me and helped me improve to become the player I am today," Kollman said. "The biggest inspiration in my life is my grandpa. He helped grow the game of hockey in Calgary and Alberta so much, and he was always my biggest supporter and fan."

A Pre-Med student who strives to one day work in medicine, Kollman posted a pair of 25-point campaigns with Edge School, amassing 29 goals and 21 assists in 39 games over that span. In addition to suiting up for Team Canada, she also made the U-18 squad for Team Alberta 2016-17, prior to earning the Edge School Athletic Award for the 2017-18 year.

"I liked the feel of the small school population and campus size...it really made me feel [at] home," she said. "Robert Morris also has a strong hockey program that is on the rise, and I enjoyed my visit with the coaching staff, so it felt like the perfect fit for me."

Krasowski (Keswick, Ontario//Toronto Jr. Aeros), 5'8", joins Thompson as the latest Junior Aeros duo to suit up for Robert Morris after career games played record-sharers Jessica Gazzola and Amanda Pantaleo skated for the '17-'18 Colonials as seniors. Having played organized hockey since age 9, she starts the next chapter of her career after finishing her time in the junior circuit with a flourish.

She helped lead her team to a 2017-18 provincial championship before the Aeros, the most accomplished club in Provincial Women's Hockey League history, went on to capture the '17-'18 PWHL regular-season crown and seventh Final Four title all-time with her up front. Krasowski also earned a PWHL Final Four silver medal with the Aeros in 2016-17 and participated in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHL) high performance camp in both the 2015-16 and '17-'18 seasons.

In fact, Krasowski, nicknamed "Mack Kraz," has passions for both law enforcement and youth hockey instruction. She has spent a great amount time passing on all that accumulated knowledge and hopes to continue coaching after college.

"Being a role model to the kids just beginning their hockey journey has had the largest contribution to my inspiration to become an overall better person, leader and hockey player," she said.

The self-proclaimed "die hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan" is eager to make her mark on the Steel City, citing the "outstanding" academic and athletic programs at Robert Morris as her chief reason for committing.

"[My goal is to] put as many points on the board as possible, ultimately leading to another CHA championship," Krasowski added.

Marino (South Lake Tahoe, California//North American Hockey Academy), 5'9", becomes the first native of the Sunshine State ever to play for the women's team at RMU, and its westernmost-born American player since Leah Carlson '16 (Copper Center, Alaska//Kenny Lake). She, too, had a milestone year at age 9 and boasts a junior hockey resume that presents her as a consistent goal scorer and point producer and, above all, a proven winner.

Her success on the ice started when she captured the Squirt A state championship with her hometown boys' team. It continued in the Junior Women's Hockey League, where Marino tallied 17 times in both the 2016-17 and '17-18 seasons for NAHA as an assistant captain, recording 64 total points over 139 games en route to back-to-back JWHL regular-season and playoff titles with the NAHA Under-19s.

After winning the team's 2016-17 Most Improved Player award and 2017-18 Coaches Award, and being named a JWHL All-Star last season, Marino knew the burgeoning program at Robert Morris was the perfect fit for a growing athlete like herself.

"I decided to play for [RMU] not only for the amazing hockey program, coaching staff, and academics, but also after seeing the dedication to growth in both the athletic and academic programs," she said. "It seems as if the entire school is always finding ways to be better and improve their programs.

"The community aspect within the school, and the support from groups outside helped tremendously upon making my decision as well. Robert Morris felt like home the second I stepped on campus, and I knew it was the right fit. I couldn't be more excited and grateful to play for such an outstanding university."

Rice (Invermere, British Columbia//Ontario Hockey Academy), 5'7", a budding young defender who hopes to bolster what was one of the nation's most versatile defensive units in 2017-18, is no stranger to the global stage herself. She has thrived in international showcase events, and done so ahead of her time.

She attended Team British Columbia Under-18 camp as an underage prospect, one of only four in the province to be selected. In addition, she attended Team BC U-18 Aboriginal for five consecutive years, beginning at age 12, and was part of the team's leadership group in four out of five seasons.

"My best memory is when I first went out to play pond hockey with my brother and enjoyed the real game of hockey," Rice said. "My whole family plays, but I always looked up to my brother, and he forced me to throw skates on so he could skate around me, yet that only made me want to stop him. And to this day, we still see who can get past who."

Her father, Robert-Tye, better known as "R.T.," has given her even more inspiration, having been invited to Vancouver Canucks development camp in the summer of 2017 after particularly humble beginnings.

"He really didn't come from much, and, losing his dad at a young age, most kids would take a very different route, but he kept fighting and succeeded," Rice added. "He truly just makes me realize how lucky I am to have what I have in life."

Meanwhile, the intimacy of RMU's Moon Township campus is another one of those things Rice has come to appreciate.

"I really enjoy the small atmosphere, as that's what I grew up with my whole life," she said. "The place just made me feel [at] home."

Thompson (Toronto//Toronto Jr. Aeros), 5'9", like Krasowski, was a fixture on the Aeros' aforementioned PWHL "triple crown" team in 2017-18. She calls it the highlight of a youth hockey career that began when she was only four years old.

After registering three goals and 13 assists in 37 games on the blue line and earning, among those other things, a championship victory in the 2017-18 Stoney Creek Tournament, word of mouth drew her to Robert Morris.

"[They] offered the program I wanted. [It] has a great hockey team, and I had heard many positive comments about the school," Thompson said.

She hopes to be a difference-maker on a national championship team at RMU someday, and in the meantime, she describes herself as an admirer of such difference-makers in American popular culture as Ellen DeGeneres and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Ellen is a powerful woman and is constantly giving back to help many people," Thompson said. "She also makes many people smile and laugh, which helps to brighten the world."

DeSmet (Charlotte, Vermont//North American Hockey Academy), 5'4", comes from both the same state and junior program as incoming senior defender Maggie LaGue, the all-time Robert Morris assist leader among blue-liners. She finished last season with a .928 save percentage and seven shutouts for NAHA, compiling a 1.96 goals-against average in the process.

An avid fan of former Penguins great and current Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, she was exposed to hockey and embraced it very early in life, despite not necessarily coming from a deep hockey background.

"I started skating with my mom during public skates around the age of four, but started playing hockey when I was five. When I was younger, neither of my parents played hockey, so I wasn't exactly around it that much," DeSmet said. "But at home we watched a lot of Detroit Red Wings games and [other] NHL games, which is what really made me want to play."

She played on her local all-boys peewee A-team, and in just her second year with that group, she posted a 3-0 shutout in the state championship game--the first time she heard parents chant her name after a couple big saves, as she recalls.

"My biggest inspiration is for sure my parents," she said, "because no matter what, they are always there for me. When I was little they would drive me hours just for a practice, and I can never thank them enough for all that they have sacrificed and done to support my goals in the sport."

As of now, those goals include being an exemplary freshman teammate on the '18-'19 Colonials squad, and helping them not only three-peat as CHA regular season champions, but capture a second conference playoff crown in three years as well.

"The one thing that stood out to me about RMU was the fact that the girls weren't just teammates but a family," DeSmet said. "The coaches really stressed the idea of being a good teammate, and that you play not just for you, but each other."

Aside from the six newcomers, the '18-'19 Colonials return all 17 underclassmen from their 2017-18 squad, with the exception of Aneta Ledlova, who left the program to play professionally for AIK of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL).

Their regular season opens with a non-conference series at Colonials Arena versus St. Lawrence that gets underway at 7:05 and 3:05 p.m. Sept. 28-29, respectively.

Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat