Women's Hockey | 5/14/2018 2:33:00 PM

University of Regina women's hockey head coach Sarah Hodges announced Monday the team's first wave of recruits for the upcoming 2018-19 season.

The class includes four forwards, a defender and a goaltender to bolster a lineup that lost veterans Kylee Kupper and Bailey Braden to graduation.

Jenna Merk is the lone local product from a group that includes three Manitoba players, a Calgary goaltender and an international forward from Dobrichovice, Czech Republic.

Merk joins the team from the Regina Rebels, where she played 92 regular season games over the course of three-plus seasons and registered 84 points. Merk, who has enrolled in Campion Science, scored 14 goals and added 22 assists in 28 regular season games as the team's captain this season, guiding the Rebels to a 17-8-3 record in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

Camryn Clyne comes to the Cougar front lines by way of Boissevain, MB and the Westman Wildcats. Clyne spent three seasons with the Wildcats, and finished fourth on the team with 31 points in the 2017-18 campaign. Clyne will join the Faculty of Nursing at the U of R.

Sidney Shyiak is a former member of the Balmoral Hall Blazers of the Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL). Shyiak played two seasons with the Blazers, totaling 46 games played and notching eight points.

Rounding out the forwards who will join the Cougars is Adela Juzkova, formerly of HC Slavia Praha – the same team Martina Maskova played for. Juzkova played more than 50 games in the Czech league, scoring 26 goals and chipping in with 11 assists. Juzkova was also a member of the Czech National Team.

Looking to the Cougar blueline, Emily Middagh is the lone newcomer to the Cougar defensive troops. Middagh (pictured) most recently played for St. Lawrence University from 2016-18, and was the captain of the Balmoral Hall Blazers before that. The Winnipeg product was named the top defenceman of the JWHL and was an all-star as well as the top goal-scoring defenceman during the 2015-16 season. Middagh has also played for Team Manitoba at the national level and was the Balmoral Hall Varsity Athlete of the Year in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The final addition of the Cougars recruiting class is goaltender Katie Crowther from Calgary. Crowther joins the Cougars from the Calgary Fire where she spent two seasons and appeared in 33 regular season games. Crowther posted a 2.98 goals-against average in the 2017-18 regular season and had a mark of 1.97 in the 2016-17 campaign.

"This year's crop of recruits is exciting, as they bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences that will make our group stronger on and off the ice," Hodges said. "It is important to have a strong, Regina product commit to us, and it's exciting to continue to draw international and out-of-province student-athletes. I think we have a hard-working and talented group that is excited to be a part of our program and represent the University of Regina."

2018-19 University of Regina Women's Hockey Recruiting Class
D Emily Middagh • Winnipeg, Man. (St. Lawrence University) • Faculty of Media, Art and Performance
F Camryn Clyne •Boissevain, Man. (Westman Wildcats) • Faculty of Nursing
F Jenna Merk • Regina, Sask. (Regina Rebels) • Faculty of Science
F Adela Juzkova • Dobrichovice, Czech Republic (HC Slavia Praha) • Faculty of Arts
F Sidney Shyiak • Headingley, Man. (Balmoral Hall Blazers) • Faculty of Kinesiology
G Katie Crowther • Calgary, Alta. (Calgary Fire) • Faculty of Kinesiology