Southern Maine Selects Senior Quartet to be Team Captains in 2011-12
(Courtesy of University of Southern Maine Sports Information Office)
GORHAM, Maine -- Four senior members of the University of Southern Maine women's ice hockey team have been named captains for the 2011-12 season that begins this Friday with an ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Women's East game at Saint Michael's College.
Head coach John Lauziere, preparing for his sixth season behind the Huskies bench, announced that senior forwards Joanna Gaube (Woodstock, Conn.), Christen Hart (Saugus, Mass.), Bridget Mini (Everett, Mass.) and Jana Sacco (Niagara Falls, Ontario) will share the captain's responsibilities this season. This will be the second straight season that Gaube has worn the "C," and the first time for Mini, Hart and Sacco.
"I am very excited about the group of senior captains we have this season," Lauziere commented. "Between the four of them, they each bring a unique aspect that will balance the leadership in the locker room and off the ice. They are very motivated to get this team back to its winning ways and leave their mark on the program."
Sacco played in all 27 games last season scoring three goals and dishing out six assists for nine points. Gaube also played in all 27 games netting three goals and handing out four assists. Hart participated in 16 games scoring three goals and garnering one assist while Mini contributed one goal and one assist in 25 games.
Over the past three seasons, Gaube has tallied 12 goals and had 11 assists in 79 games, and Sacco has lit the lamp 11 times and had 19 assists in 80 games. Hart has picked up 10 goals and seven assists in 51 games. Mini has chipped in two goals and two assists in 73 contests. Gaube and Sacco each have three game-winning goals in their career.
Lauziere has 18 players returning from last season's team that finished 8-17-2 overall and 5-12-1 in ECAC Women's East play. The Huskies reached the semifinals of the ECAC Women's East playoffs before losing to top-seeded Norwich University.
The Huskies open the season with a pair of games in Vermont this weekend playing Saint Michael's College on Friday (7:00 p.m.) and at Norwich on Saturday (4:00 p.m.). After this weekend's to road games, the Huskies will play five consecutive home games, including their home opener against New England College on November 18.
