Phila.'s Gina Kearns Joins Elite Group

BU Women's Ice Hockey To Drop Puck On Inaugural Season

BOSTON - Exactly two months out from the inaugural home opener for Boston University women's ice hockey, Head Coach Brian Durocher announced a 29-player preliminary roster and 33-game regular-season schedule.

"After 32 years of playing at the non-varsity level, I am extremely pleased that women's ice hockey has gained varsity status at Boston University," said Mike Lynch, BU vice president and director of athletics. "BU Athletics is now proud to recognize 24 NCAA Division I sports and looks forward to this historic season for women's ice hockey."

BU women's ice hockey will drop the puck as a varsity team for the first time on Friday, October 7 at Northeastern. Four days later, on Tuesday, October 11, BU's Walter Brown Arena will play host to the Terriers as they take on Quinnipiac in their first of 17 home games.

As part of the Women's Hockey East Association, BU will face off three times against each of the seven conference opponents (Boston College, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence and Vermont), in addition to seeing action against eight non-conference foes (Quinnipiac, Union, Dartmouth, Rensselaer, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Brown and Harvard).

Besides facing rigorous competition in teams like Dartmouth, a 2005 Women's Frozen Four participant, and 2005 Hockey East Champion Providence, the Terriers will vie for the coveted Beanpot Championship against last year's national runner-up Harvard.

Along with the 2005-06 schedule comes a roster of 29 women, to be trimmed to 25-27 players by early October. Highlighting the roster are five scholarship players including forwards Cara Hendry (Calgary, Alta.),Gina Kearns (Norwood, Pa.) and Erin Seman (Ramsey, Minn.); defenseman Amanda Shaw (St. Thomas, Ont.); and goaltender Allyse Wilcox (Grand Blanc, Mich.).

Hendry, a junior transfer from Minnesota State Mankato tallied 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in two years with the Mavericks after playing with 7 Clubs and Glenlake in Alberta.

Beyond playing on the Interboro High School (Prospect Park, Pa.) varsity boys' team, Kearns led the Princeton Tiger Lilies to a third-place finish at the 2005 USA Hockey National Championships with 121 points (81 goals, 40 assists) in 51 games.

Seman, a four-year letterwinner at Anoka ( Minn.) High School, was an All-State and All-Tournament selection in both 2004 and 2005 and was among Minnesota's top high school scorers last season in addition to attending her third USA Hockey Girls' Select Festival.

Shaw captained her team at East Elgin Secondary School (Aylmer, Ont.), played two years for the London Devilettes of the Provincial Women's Hockey League in Ontario and was also a member of Team Ontario at the 2005 Canadian Under-18 Women's Hockey Challenge.

In two years with Honeybaked of the Midwest Women's Elite Hockey League, Wilcox recorded a 1.63 goals-against average with 817 saves in 48 games and was a First Team MWEHL selection after leading her team to the league championship.

Also included on the preliminary roster are forwards Stephanie Armstrong (Stoneham, Mass.), Caroline Bourdeau (West Hartford, Conn.), Erica Christensen (Andover, Mass.), Kelley Karnan (Center Sandwich, N.H.), Laurel Koller (St. Paul, Minn.), Genevieve Laing (Rochester, N.Y.), Kristen Lally (Arlington, Mass.), Jessica Lortie (Cooper City, Fla.), Leah Nakamoto (Winchester, Mass.), Jen Negoshian (Needham, Mass.), Maeghan Ouimet (Portsmouth, N.H.), Sarah Russell (Tewksbury, Mass.), Kelly Walsh (Bedford, Mass.), Ashley Watkins (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Nicki Wiart (Queensbury, N.Y.).

Additional blueliners include Catherine Foley (South Boston, Mass.), Amy Ley (Las Vegas, Nev.), Justine McLaughlin (Quincy, Mass.), Caitlin Reddy (Birmingham, Mich.), Emily Schwarz (North Andover, Mass.), Sophie Thornton (St. Paul, Minn.) and Moira Trott (Maplewood, N.J.); while Erica Brandt (Richmond, Va.) and Karilyn Pilch (Salem, N.H.) will serve in goal.