WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's ice hockey team returns to the Toyota SportsPlex ready to drop the puck on the 2025-26 season, following a banner 2024-25 season that saw the team's first conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

Head coach Dave LaBaff returns for his fourth season at the helm of the program after his first conference championship as a head coach.

"It's high energy right now," LaBaff said of the team's excitement to start the season. "The morning practices feel like afternoon practices where everyone's hooting and hollering. It's been fast, high compete, physical… it's been great to see."

The team returns much of the championship winning core, including MAC Championship MVP goaltender Audrey Milne (London, ON), MAC Rookie of the Year Renee Ng (Hong Kong, China/Mount Academy), and fellow all-conference nominations Haylee Bouchard (Sioux Lookout, ON/), Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY/), and Tilly Weirdsma. This returning core helped the Colonels to receive votes in the USCHO.com preseason Division III poll, announced on October 13.

Joining them is captain Anneke Bouma (Newcastle, ON/), who has played 80 games in the navy and gold heading into her senior season. The junior class contains forwards Bouchard, Amanda Spreadbury (Suwanee, GA/), Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY/), Lily Zingaro (Collingwood, ON), Milica Velcek (Novi Sad, Serbia/), and Danielle Longuemare (Pembroke, MA/Portsmouth Abbey School), as well as defenders Weirdsma, Chayce Hyndman (Mountain, ON/), and Breanna Herdine (Haslet, TX/). Milne is the lone goaltender of the class.

Ng headlines the sophomore class, but the group welcomes back massive contributors Nina Hudakova (Košice, Slovakia/Hoosac Prep School), Megan Bell (Waterloo, ON/St. David Catholic), Gianna Pacilio (Franklinville, NJ/), and Angelina Bustos (Keswick, ON) in attack with Hannah Franz (North Bay, ON/) and Mina Killingstad (Hønefoss, Norway/Lillehammer) in defense.

"Our returners are the history makers on our team," LaBaff said. "They changed the face of the program when they got here. All 18 bring something to the table, whether it's leadership, goal production, or anything in between… I think it's what makes our team special, our depth."

As the program record holder in career goaltender wins, save percentage, and shutouts, LaBaff spoke highly of Milne as the "backbone" of the team.

"She looks better than she's ever looked at the start of the season," he said. "I'm really excited for her."

The Colonels also welcome twelve newcomers to the squad, including four transfers and eight first-year student athletes.

Graduate forward Olivia Lindberg (Stockholm, Sweden) played 74 games for New England College, scoring 15 goals and assisting 30 in her time with the Pilgrims, and now dons the Wilkes colors this season. The team also welcomes sophomore Shayna Deutsch (Land O Lakes, FL) to the attack from Suffolk University, sophomore defender Laney Harold from Buffalo State, and sophomore goaltender Hannah Garrett-Howard (Missoula, MT) from Curry College.

"Our transfers are hungry," LaBaff said of the group. "I think that's the thing with transfers is they're always hungry when they come through the doors. All of them have made our team better in different ways."

Forwards Abby Bush (Ottawa, ON), Carissa Hann (Windsor, ON), Delaney Howard (Pittsburgh, PA), Polina Telehina (Kyiv, Ukraine), defenders Drew Hayhurst (Breckenridge, CO/New Hampton School), Annie Sommer (Atlanta, GA), and Mikayla Dunford-Woods (Waverley, NS), and goaltender Emily Connell (Berwick, NS) make up the first-year class.

"I think everybody's very strong, and we have some first-year players who are really going to take off right away," LaBaff said of his incoming athletes. "We're excited to see how our first years develop and how the transfers can bring their experience to Wilkes University."

The Colonels open the season on the road at No. 14 ranked Cortland State and begin MAC play on Nov. 7-8 with games at King's College. The Colonels were selected to repeat as champions in the MAC preseason poll, a pressure LaBaff feels will motivate the team this season.

"Pressure is a privilege," he said. "We climbed the mountain and got to see the view at the top, which was great, but now we're back down at the bottom, and we have to fight for every inch to get back up. We want to have that eighth place hunger with first place expectations, and I think the team lives that every single day. We're excited for the challenge, every game has to mean something to us, and I know this group isn't taking anything for granted."

The season begins Friday, October 31 as the Colonels face the Red Dragons of Cortland State at 3:00 p.m.