Coming off their fourth consecutive appearance in the College Hockey America championship game, the Robert Morris women’s hockey team has announced the 2020-21 freshman class, looking for their third tournament win; and first since 2017.

In order to accomplish this feat, Head Coach Paul Colontino has recruited Nikki LaGue, Ellie Marcovsky, Chace Sperling, and Molly Pedone as the 2020-21 class, saying on RMUColonials.com, “We are very excited for the arrival of our four new Colonials. Molly, Ellie, Nikki, and Chace are all exceptional individuals both on and off the ice. In what can be considered a small class in terms of numbers, it was very important to us that each incoming Colonial have the ability to play a major role in the continued growth of the program and our presence in the community.”

Nikki LaGue (D)-

LaGue’s name will provide some recognition for Colonials fans, as she is the cousin of former Colonials defender Maggie LaGue. The younger LaGue will have tough shoes to follow, as Maggie is eighth in all-time points for the Colonials, with 90.

The past two seasons, Nikki has spent in the JWHL with NAHL White, scoring one goal and nine points in 28 career games. In 2018 as a member of the Vermont Shamrocks organization, she scored the game-tying goal in the semi-final to send her team to the 2018 USA Hockey U16 National Championship game.

Chace Sperling (D)-

Joining LaGue on defense is Theodore, Saskatchewan native Chace Sperling. Last year she was a member of Pursuit of Excellence of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, where she scored two goals and six points in 10 games.

Before Pursuit of Excellence, she played three seasons with the Saskatoon Stars of the SFMAAAHL with current Colonial winger Joelle Fiala. With the Stars, she put up 44 points (16 G, 28 A) in 80 games.

Ellie Marcovsky (F)-

Marcovsky, a 5’3” Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania native, spent time in the Pens Elite program when she was younger. Last year, she played with the Selects Hockey Academy U19 team, and the two years prior to that, she averaged 0.67 points per game, scoring 26 points (16 G, 11 A) in 37 games with the NAHL White alongside Nikki LaGue.

Molly Pedone (F)-

With Molly Pedone joining the Colonials in the 2020-21 season, she will have become the first Robert Morris women’s hockey player to hail from the Sunshine State. Born in Trinity, Florida, Pedone spent the past four seasons playing with Shattuck St. Mary’s in Fairbault, Minnesota.

As a member of the U16 team, she put up 43 points (19 G, 24 A) in 181 games with Sabres. Last season, with their U19 team, she skated in 14 games, putting up four penalty minutes.

Coach Colontino also stated, “All four student-athletes have exceptional leadership skills, work ethic, and families that run parallel with the core values and culture of the program. It’s an exciting time for Colonial hockey, and the addition of these four highly talented individuals, along with our experienced and tightly bonded returners should make for an exciting year.”