ERIE, Pa. – Mercyhurst University women's hockey coach Michael Sisti has announced that junior Christine Bestland will serve as captain and seniors Lauren Jones, Gina Buquet, and transfer Kelsey Welch will serve as assistant captains for the upcoming 2012-13 season.

Bestland will wear the “C” on her jersey while Jones, Buquet and Welch will all wear the “A”.

Christine Bestland, a native from Brunkild, Manitoba, played in all 69 games throughout her freshman and sophomore years as a Laker, posting 48 goals and 100 points.  She led the team with four game-winning goals last season and finished third in power-play goals with nine.  In the past two summers, Bestland has participated in Canadian International Hockey Academy for the Canadian National Women's Under-22/Development Team.  “Her first two years have been phenomenal.  The girls see her as a model on and off the ice and as a junior it is a great honor to wear the “C”,” said Sisti. “She is very skillful…and is more than capable of reaching the 200 point mark, which only a select few girls in the program have accomplished.”

Lauren Jones, a senior from Bloomington, Ill., played in all 104 games in her career, only having a combination of 15 points after her freshman and sophomore years.  She completed her junior season with a total of 18 points, 10 goals and eight assists.  Sisti stated, “She is a great success story having played all types of roles throughout the past three years.  She has battled to become successful and shows great pride on and off the ice.”  Jones not only performs on the ice, but off as well by being a role model in the classroom. She currently has a 4.0 majoring in Intelligence Studies.

A Wayne State transfer becoming a Laker in 2011, Gina Buquet is a senior from Lafayette, La.  As a former CHA rival, she had 14 points her sophomore season with the Warriors.  Finishing her first season as a Laker, Buquet finished the 2011-12 season with six points, two goals and four assists.  Buquet is also a 4.0 student studying Exercise Science.  “The girls look to her as a sounding board - someone they can talk to.  She always produces great things and the girls give her the respect because she presents herself with maturity on and off the ice,” Coach Sisti stated.

Kelsey Welch is no stranger to College Hockey America, playing for both Niagara University and Syracuse University.  She played two seasons with the Orange (71 games) before transferring to Niagara.  While there, she played in 29 games with the Purple Eagles scoring eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.  Coach Sisti said she is no stranger to the rink. “She plays with pride and presents herself so well that the girls already see her as a role model.  She came into preseason in great shape and works hard which is something our girls can look up to.”

Mercyhurst loses six seniors from the 2011-12 season due to graduation.  The Lakers finished last year with a record of 23-8-3 overall, making it 12 consecutive conference post-season tournament appearances and advancing to the first round of NCAA Division I playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

The Lakers will open their season on Saturday, September 22 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, game time is at 3:00 pm.