EVE-AUDREY PICARD (Forward)
Longueuil, Quebec
Picard, a native of Longueuil, Québec, has some international experience under her belt. The forward was a member of Team Canada at the 2014 U18 Women’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. During the tournament, Picard posted
six points, and she stepped her game up for the gold medal game against the United States, where she scored twice en route to a 5-1 Canada win. Last season, playing for Patriotes du Cégep de Saint-Laurent, she posted 30 points in 23 games, and Plumer sees her as a top-six impact forward.
SYDNEY SCOBEE (Goaltender)
Minnetrista, Minnesota
Scobee spent last year at Breck School in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where she went 9-3-0 with a .911 save percentage. This included an upset victory in the Walser Invitational, in which she stopped all 63 shots that she saw in the tournament. This included 40 saves in the final against Maple Grove. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking being in that position of being in the championship,” said Scobee, who describes herself as an athletic goalie who uses her size to her advantage. “But I think it taught me to stay composed and I think it’s helped me become who I am today.”
ALI O’LEARY (Forward)
Reading, Massachusetts
The Boston Shamrocks have produced many UVM women’s players over the years and first-year forward O’Leary is the latest on the pipeline. After dominating high school hockey with Reading High School, where she ranks second all-time in scoring and won a state championship and a Miss Hockey Massachusetts in 2015, O’Leary elected to go junior full-time with the Shamrocks. In her one year with the Shamrocks, she posted 22 points in 28 games. Current team- mates senior defender Rachael Ade and senior goaltender Madison Litchfield, both Shamrock alumni, have helped her transition from juniors to college. “We definitely all talked about our old coaches and teammates that we both know,” O’Leary said. “I was definitely able to talk to them before I got here and they taught me the differences be- tween the Shamrocks and UVM.”
MELISSA BLACK (Goaltender)
Newmarket, Ontario
Black, a native of Newmarket, Ontario, joins the team as a transfer from Union College. At Union, Black herself was excellent, sporting a .931 save percentage in her first season. Unfortunately, she wasn’t enough to keep the team from a winless season as the Dutchwomen went 0-28-6, according to U.S. College Hockey Online. Prior to her time at Union, she spent the 2014-2015 season with the Aurora Jr. Panthers of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League, leading the league with a .945 save percentage.
ALLIE GRANATO (Forward)
Plainfield, Illinois
Granato comes from one of USA hockey’s most famous families. Her aunt was an Olympic gold medalist in 1998, and was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, while her uncle is a veteran of over 700 NHL games who now coaches the University of Wisconsin. Last season, Granato played for the Chicago Fury U19 in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, with whom she scored two goals at the Can/Am Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin, one of which was a game winner.
