SU Welcomes Class Of 2016

Syracuse ice hockey head coach Paul Flanagan announced Wednesday the addition of five incoming freshmen to the program for the 2012-13 season. Emily Auerbacher, Julie Bengis, Danielle Leslie, Melissa Piacentini and Nicole Renault will all join the Orange next season as SU prepares for the program's fifth campaign.

"We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2016 to Syracuse," Flanagan said. "We believe that they will serve as a great asset as our program continues to grow and compete against the nation's top teams."

Auerbacher comes to Syracuse after spending last season with the Boston Shamrocks of the Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL) last season. The Gladstone, N.J. native was second on the team with 32 points on 22 goals and 10 assists in 28 games played, to help Boston to a 15-11-4 record and a third place finish in the league playoffs. Auerbacher also played in the JWHL All-Star Game.

"Emily is a hard-working, hard-nosed, blue collar type forward who emerged with the Boston Shamrocks this season as one of their leading scorers," Flanagan said. "She is coming off a great year, and helped lead the Shamrocks with a good showing in the JWHL playoffs."

Auerbacher, a left-handed forward, joins a Syracuse offensive attack that returns its top six scorers from last season's team, including captains Holly Carrie-Mattimoe and Margot Scharfe.

Bengis, a goaltender from Stormville, N.Y., played her high school hockey for the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut. A two-year starter for Kent, she posted a 2.30 goals against average and a .917 save percentage in 17 games played during her senior season.

Leslie, a Winnipeg, Manitoba native, was named a JWHL Second Team All-Star for Balmoral High School. Last season, Leslie tallied five goals and 14 assists as the Blazers finished at the top of the NWHL Major Junior West standings with a 21-8-2 record.

"Danielle is a strong skater who is very effective in the defensive zone," Flanagan said. "She is an excellent passer who makes great decisions, and she will certainly add great depth to our defensive core."

Leslie also played for Team Manitoba in the 2011 National Women's Under-18 Championships, where she helped the squad to the bronze medal with a 3-1 victory against Atlantic.

Piacentini was named the co-MVP of the Independent School League while also receiving All-League honors for Thayer Academy. The forward was also named to the 2012 All-New England Team for Division II and was selected as the Thayer team MVP.

Piacentini also played for Assabet Valley in the Under-19 Tier I National Championships, helping the team to the gold medal. She played in all six games during the tournament, and was tied for second on the team with five points (four goals, one assist).

"We are very excited to have Nicole and Melissa join our program for the 2012-2013 season," Flanagan said. "They come from excellent hockey programs and will bring a hard working, know how to win attitude with them to Syracuse. We anticipate their strong character and on-ice skills will compliment well with our current team and help our program continue to move in the right direction."

Renault, a 5'5'' defenseman hailing from Plymouth, Mich., played for the Under-19 Little Caesar's last season. Renault tallied 12 goals and 28 assists during the season, helping Little Caesar's to a 37-16-4 record.

Syracuse finished the 2011-12 season with a 10-22-3 record, and welcomes Lindenwood, Penn State and RIT to College Hockey America (CHA) at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

Syracuse University Athletics

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