Women's Hockey | 7/7/2017 1:28:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – Scott McDonald, Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach, is excited to announce the RIT women's hockey Class of 2021. The class of eight student-athletes includes five forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. Four players hail from Canada, while four are also from the United States.
 
"I'd like to thank our staff for their tireless effort in identifying student-athletes who will help us on the ice, but also add to our outstanding reputation in the classroom and community," said McDonald, who is entering his 12th season behind the bench at RIT in 2017-18.
 
Up front, Britteny Gout (Caledon, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes), Stella Haberman (Golden Valley, MN/Minnesota Whitecaps), Kaleyn Johnson (Toronto, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs), Jordan Marchese (Mississauga, Ontario/Brampton Canadettes), and Baylee Trani (Huntington Beach, CA/New England Hockey Club) will look to compete for playing time right away. Defensemen Katie Carlson (Dalbo, MN/Minnesota Revolution) and Ellie Larson (Hutchinson, MN/Hutchinson) along with goaltender Jessi O'Leary (Woodstock, New Brunswick/Athol Murray) will also look to crack the lineup as first-year student-athletes.
 
Gout played the last three seasons for the Brampton Canadettes of the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL), serving as team captain in 2016-17. Gout, who stands 5-foot-3, tallied 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists in 2016-17. She had two power-play goals, a pair of game-winning tallies and one shorthanded goal. She was a junior teammate of fellow incoming Tiger Jordan Marchese.
 
"Britteny has a blue-collar mentality, competes hard on both ends of the ice and has great instincts with and without the puck," said McDonald.
 
Haberman played for the Minnesota Jr. Whitecaps varsity team and Minnesota Jr. Whitecaps of the Minnesota Elite League in 2016-17. She had 32 points for the Whitecaps on 17 goals and 15 assists in 2016-17 and recorded 84 points over five seasons. Haberman, who stands 5-foot-3, attended the USA Hockey Player Development Camp for three years.
 
"Stella is a dynamic, quick player who handles the puck well," said McDonald. "She can play either forward or defense and is strong at both ends of the ice."
 
Johnson, a 5-foot-4 forward, played the last three seasons in the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She was member of the Mississauga Chiefs over the last two years, recording 19 points for Mississauga on 10 goals and nine assists in 35 games in 2016-17 and 29 points on 17 goals and 12 assists in 38 games in 2015-16. Johnson also recorded 16 points in 24 postseason games over the last two seasons.
 
"Kaelyn has a crafty offensive game, sees the ice well and is a strong puck mover," said McDonald. We expect to contribute on special teams as well."
 
Marchese, who stands 5-foot-5, played the 2016-17 season with the Brampton Canadettes of the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL) alongside Gout. Marchese, an assistant captain, recorded 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists in 38 games played in 2016-17.
 
"Jordan is a hard worker who skates really well and is not afraid to go into the dirty areas to get the puck," said McDonald. "She has good playmaking ability."

Trani, a speedy, 5-foot-2 forward, played the 2016-17 season with the New England Hockey Club. She led the team with nine goals while playing in 28 games. Trani was also a two-year member of the Under-16 California Wave from 2013-15. Trani is a member of RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID).
 
"Baylee will be an exciting player to watch," said McDonald. "She is extremely quick and likes to have the puck on her stick to make plays."
 
Carlson, a 5-foot-2 blueliner, played for the Minnesota Revolution and attended Revolution Academy in 2016-17.
 
"Katie is a speedy defenseman who will be looked upon to give us needed offense from the point," said McDonald. "She has great instincts in the defensive zone and knows when to jump into the play offensively."
 
Larson, RIT's tallest newcomer, standing 5-foot-9, was a five-year letter winner at Hutchinson High School. She served as team captain in 2016-17 and earned All-Minnesota honorable mention accolades. Larson led Hutchinson to an 18-7 record in 2016-17, tallying 14 goals and 19 assists. She had 65 goals, 60 assists and 125 points in five seasons with Hutchinson.
 
"Ellie is a solid two-way defender who has a heavy shot from the point," said McDonald. "She has a knack for making the good first pass in transition."
 
O'Leary, a 5-foot-4 goaltender, played for the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds, recording a .916 save percentage in 2016-17, while playing 755 minutes. She is also a member of Team New Brunswick.
 
"Jessi is very athletic, moves really well, is a strong competitor and never gives up on the play," said McDonald. "She will step right in and compete for the starting role."
 
RIT begins its sixth season as a Division I program in 2017-18. RIT is looking for its third league title in five seasons and second berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers return 16 players from last season's squad that advanced to the CHA Semifinals. RIT hosts Ryerson University in an exhibition contest on Sept. 24 and plays its first two home games of the 2017-18 regular season against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as part of Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend on Oct. 13-14.
 
"We wanted to go back to our roots of recruiting players who are proven leaders, gritty to play against and have a strong compete level," said McDonald, who won his 200th game at RIT last season. "Our two main goals were to become faster as a team and tougher to play against and we feel with this class will accomplish both."