X-Women hockey add to line-up

ANTIGONISH, NS ­– The defending AUS champion StFX X-Women hockey team have added to their line-up for the upcoming season as head coach David Synishin is pleased to announce six new recruits. Forwards Lydia Schurman, Brooke Noseworthy and Emily Power, as well as defensemen Jessica Geddes and Alley Goodreau and goaltender Carley Molnar will join the X-Women roster.

The X-Women won their 10^th AUS conference title in team history in 2014-15 and placed fourth at the CIS national championship under interim head coach Ben Berthiaume. Berthiuame remains with the program as an assistant coach as Coach Synishin resumes his head coaching duties after a one year leave of absence. The X-Women lost just three players via graduation in forward Alex Normore and defensemen Jenna Downey and Kira Dube. CIS All-Canadian defense and three-time AUS all-star Jenna Pitts who played with the X-Women from 2010-2014 is returning to the StFX line-up for her fifth season this fall.

Lydia Schurman comes to StFX via Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ont. A native of Summerside, P.E.I., Schurman is a skilled left-handed forward that plays a responsible two-way game. A member of Team Atlantic at the U18 Nationals, she has played at Ridley College the past three years. In 52 games played at Ridley this past season, Schurman scored 25 goals and added 25 assists for 50 points.

Synishin comments, "Lydia is an intelligent player that works very hard and will add depth to the forward

group for the X-Women. She had a lot of interest from NCAA and CIS programs, so we are fortunate she chose StFX. She was a first-team all-star in her prep school league, and is an excellent individual. She will fit in well with our team dynamic and has room to grow within our program. We look forward to seeing what Lydia brings to our lineup come September."

Brooke Noseworthy is a 5'6" forward from St. Anthony, Nfld. A right-handed power forward that played for Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont. for the past three seasons, Noseworthy has an excellent shot, competes hard every shift, and will fit in well with the X-Women's gritty, hard-working style. Noseworthy has played for Team Newfoundland on many occasions, including this year's Canada Games and is among OHA's top scorers.

Coach Synishin has many good things to say about Noseworthy, "In almost every tournament she has competed for Team Newfoundland, Brooke has been chosen the hardest-working player on the team. This is a testament to what she will bring to our lineup, and we are excited about the competitor Brooke is, both on and off the ice. She doesn't take a shift off and loves physical play. In addition to her grit, Brooke can score goals and will have plenty of skilled forwards to work with this year."

With Noseworthy and Schurman, the X-Women add two more highly-touted Atlantic-Canadian players to their roster.

The X-Women also welcome forward Emily Power to the team for 2015-16. A native of Airdrie, Alta., Power comes to StFX via the Pursuit of Excellence program in Kelowna, B.C. A hard-working player that is physically strong and possesses a strong right-hand shot, she scored seven goals and had eight assists in 33 games with POE.

Coach Synishin is very familiar with Power, having coached her this past season. "Emily has great leadership skills and will contribute lots of energy and positivity to our team. She is a player who shoots the puck very well and developed her game significantly this past season at POE. The Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy plays exhibition games and tournaments against some of the best prep and university programs in North America, so Emily will come in already adjusted for CIS hockey."

The first of two X-Women defense recruits is Jessica Geddes, a 5'6", left-handed defenseman from Oakville, Ont. "Jessica is a solid, heads-up defenseman that has played the past three years in the PWHL with Oakville and Brampton," comments Synishin. "She moves the puck well and will be counted on to help us with our transition game. Jessica loves the game, takes it very serious and enjoys competing. All of these qualities are ones we seek when recruiting."

In 30 regular season games with Oakville, Geddes scored four goals and had 10 assists for 14 points. "Jessica will learn a lot from Ben [Berthiuame] and our experienced defensemen, and we expect that she will make an impact on our roster quickly," adds the head coach.

The X-Women have also recruited Alley Goodreau to the defense corps. From Airdrie, Alta., Goodreau has played the past couple seasons at Warner Hockey School and Ontario Hockey Academy. A 5'7" left-handed defender, Goodreau has speed and patience with the puck. Synishin has high praise for Goodreau's willingness to battle and take time and space away from opposing forwards, commenting "Alley's strongest attributes are her skating and her competitiveness as a defender. Her grit and work ethic will be a welcomed addition to the team. She will be looked upon to play a shut-down role and make life difficult for opposing players."

Goaltender Carley Molnar comes to StFX from London, Ont., playing the past three years in the PWHL with London and Bluewater. In her three seasons in the PWHL, Molnar posted a GAA of 2.09, a save percentage of .914 and had 12 shutouts. She is a 5'11" butterfly-style goalie that competed at the Team Canada U18 conditioning camp last summer. The X-Women were very pleased to hear that Molnar was interested in attending StFX, as she had many schools vying for her services.

Coach Synishin comments that "Carley is athletic and is a worker, which are two qualities that mesh well with our team concepts. She already has an impressive pedigree, and will learn a lot from Sojung Shin. Having seen Carley play a number of times, she gives her team an excellent chance of winning every time she plays. We are excited about landing a high-end recruit like Carley and can't wait to see her develop during her time here at StFX."

The X-Women begin pre-season exhibition play September 24-26 when they will host Saint Mary's, Concordia and Waterloo in an exhibition tournament at the StFX Keating Centre. AUS regular season play for the defending league champions begins on October 16^th when they will host UPEI at 7:00 pm in Antigonish.   

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