Eleven players, who represent eight different states from across the nation have been recruited for the purpose of competing in the Presidential Division of the Independent Women’s Club Hockey League (IWCHL).

Paul Smith’s College head coach Casey Gerrish said the intention is to reach the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Tournament in the spring.

“I’m so incredibly excited about the incoming class of women’s hockey players,” Gerrish said. “The talent level is through the roof and we’ll be competing at a high level from the first drop of the puck.” 

Gerrish’s recruiting class consists of:

Ireland Preston skates for the Saranac Lake Placid girls high school hockey team during a game at the Olympic Center. (Enterprise file photo — Lou Reuter)

¯ Ireland Preston (Lake Placid) — a local standout who has played most recently on the Saranac Lake Placid girl’s high school hockey team, and is another forward who has already shown the area what she can do on the ice.

¯ Ashley Finch (Oswego) — played goaltender for Girls 19U Syracuse Blazers and was a stalwart in net for Mark Fierro’s Oswego High School girl’s hockey team.

¯Michaela Powers (Ogdensburg,) — a former standout on the Canton High School girls hockey team; played high level juniors for the Cornwall Typhoons and Rideau St. Lawrence.

¯ Justyne Hayes (Bedford, Texas) — a defenseman who can also help at forward; played boys hockey with Grapevine-Colleyville High School and Girls 17U Hockey with the Dallas Stars Elite. 

¯ Alexandra Cherry (Grasonville, Mary.) — another defenseman, played boys hockey for the Saint Mary’s boys hockey team and girls hockey for the Tri-City Eagles.

¯ Rhoda Peterson (Havre, Mon.) — a forward who competed on both boys and girls teams in Montana; will also play for the PSC womens soccer team in the fall.

¯ Anna Ackerman (Pottstown, Pa.) — a defensive forward who played for the Hockey Training Institute in Mulmar, Ontario; one of three recruited players from HTI.

¯ Izzy Hays (Slippery Rock, Pa.) — top-rated forward who played high level junior hockey at the Hockey Training Institute and was among the team leaders in points.

¯ Lia Poggio (Cumming, Ga.) — big, physical defenseman who can shut down opposing offensive players with her size and skill, also a product of the Hockey Training Institute.

¯ Coco Eberhard (Waunakee, Wis.) — a forward from the heart of hockey country in the Upper Midwest, played for the Cap City Cougars who were consistently ranked in the top 10 in Wisconsin state hockey.

¯ Diana Jones (Parker, Colo.) — another forward who played midget hockey in Colorado, adds much-needed depth to the roster with her work ethic and on-ice tenacity.

“One key asset to the successful recruiting of women’s hockey athletes from eight different states was our purchasing Front Rush software solutions in January 2019,” stated Jim Tucker, PSC Athletic Director. “Front Rush is the leading provider of recruiting and athletic management software for college coaches. Not only has it produced great success in our hockey recruiting but also in other sports at PSC.”