WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's ice hockey squad returns to the ice for their fourth season of competition after a shortened 0-9-0 season in 2020-2021.  Head coach Earl Utter looks to build on the program's start in a new-look United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) that sees a departing Elmira and William Smith replaced by Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe Arcadia Knights.
 
"I expect for us to make the (UCHC) playoffs", said Utter.  "I expect, and the players expect, to continue to develop as ice hockey players and to make the playoffs."
 
The Colonels return a core of four seniors, with goaltenders Allyson Joly (Lincoln, RI) and Alexa Rango (Hopewell Junction, NY) joined by defender Valerie Koenig (Arlington, TX/) and forward Kendall Castro (Killingworth, CT/).  Joly has played in 37 of 46 games for the Colonels and recorded 151 saves in her seven games last season with a .893 save percentage.  Castro has scored 10 goals in her career in the Navy and Gold thus far, while Koenig has 53 blocked shots in two seasons with Wilkes.  Rango has 552 saves in her two seasons with the Colonels.
 
Nine juniors make up almost half of the Colonels squad this season.  Defenders Abigail Barcless (Hamilton, NJ/) and Abby Miller (Webster, NY) join up with a forward cast of Andrea Delvecchio (Orange, CT/Amity), Claudia Cuchran (Northampton, PA), Gianna Manzi (Aston, PA/), Julie Patterson (Trenton, NJ), Quinn Rodefeld (Blaine, MN/), Abby Davis (Mountain Top, PA/), and Amanda Bunje (Warminster, PA).  Barcless and Miller made the second team All-MAC squad last season, with Barcless earning 32 blocked shots and leading the Colonels with a trio of assists which was also good for a tie for seventh in the MAC.  Miller averaged close to two blocked shots per game in her sophomore campaign. 
 
Delvecchio has had one goal and one assist in her career, while Manzi has had eight blocked shots.  Patterson had a four-goal, four-assist sophomore season.  Rodefeld has won 71 faceoffs in her two years, while Bunje has skated in 32 games with the Navy and Gold. Davis has totaled 21 shots for the Colonels.  Cuchran is playing her first season with the Colonels as a transfer.
 
The Colonels field a class of four sophomores.  Addy Olson (Naples, FL/) made an immediate impact at goaltender in the shortened 2020-21 season, recording 162 saves and a .862 save percentage.  Forwards Sarah Uhall (Greensburg, PA/) and Rachel Morey (Buffalo, WY/) join defender Kiera Lacombe (Buckeye, AZ/) as the skaters of the sophomores.  All three skated in all nine games for the Colonels, with Lacombe blocking seven shots, Morey recording a goal and an assist, and Uhall winning 10 faceoffs to make immediate contributions in their first season.
 
First years Emma Guzdek (Amherst, NY) and Sofia Niemela (Santa Barbara, CA) join Cuchran as the newcomers to the Colonels this season.  Guzdek looks to make contributions as a forward and defender, while Niemela aims to have an immediate impact as a defender.
 
"I think they're very excited," said Utter when asked about the newcomers skating for the Colonels for the first time.
 
The Colonels return to non-conference play with a pair of road trips to SUNY Canton and Anna Maria, while hosting Morrisville State.  The Navy and Gold open their season with a pair of home matchups against UCHC foe Neumann this Friday, November 5 at 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 6 at 3:30 p.m. at the Toyota SportsPlex.  The Navy and Gold play their first road contests against Nazareth on November 12 and November 13 at 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively.
 
"I think the UCHC is one of the better conferences in the NCAA," Utter said.  "I don't think Elmira and William Smith leaving weakened the league so much as opened it up to new competitors."