BURLINGTON, Vt. – University of Vermont head women's hockey coach Jim Plumer announced the addition of five student-athletes to the 2015-16 roster Friday morning. Alyssa Gorecki (Monee, Ill.), Rachel Khalouf (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Sammy Kolowrat (Prague, Czech Republic), Daria O'Neil (Carlyle, Saskatchewan) and Saana Valkama (Pirkkala, Finland) represent UVM's class of 2019.

"I am very excited to welcome this group to Burlington in August," said Plumer. "Our entire staff worked hard to identify players with hockey talent, intelligence on the ice and in the classroom, and strong character. I am thrilled to have such a diverse group joining us next season."
 
Alyssa Gorecki (F • Monee, Ill. • Chicago Mission/USA U-18)
Gorecki won the 2015 U19 National Championship with the Chicago Mission … Gorecki had two goals and four assists as the Mission went undefeated through their six games in the national tournament … Gorecki was second in the HPHL in scoring this winter despite playing in just six games … She had eight goals and seven assists for 15 points … She was the only player in the league to average two points per game … Gorecki also won gold with the U.S. U-18 team at the World Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. in January … She had two goals and three assists in the tournament including a tally in the gold medal game against Canada.
 
Rachel Khalouf (D • Pittsburgh, Pa. • Pittsburgh Penguins Elite/Shady Side Academy)
In February Khalouf scored the championship-clinching goal in overtime for Shady Side Academy as they won their first-ever Women's Ice Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA) title … Click here for a video of the game-winning tally  … Khalouf was named to the All-WIHLMA Second Team following the season … With the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite she also advanced to the 2015 U19 National Championship … She had two assists in three games but the Pens didn't advance out of round robin play and finished ninth overall.
 
Sammy Kolowrat (D • Prague, Czech Republic • Choate Rosemary Hall/Czech Republic National Team)
Kolowrat played this past season at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn. … She helped the team compile an overall record of 15-7-3 … Kolowrat has an extensive resume playing for the Czech national team at various IIHF events … This year she competed with the senior national team at the Division One worlds in Rouen, France, the Czech Republic went 5-0 and earned promotion to the 2016 Women's World Championships in Kamloops, British Columbia … In 2013 she played with the Czechs at that highest level during the Worlds in Ottawa, Ontario … She also played for the Czech Republic in the 2012 and 2013 U-18 World Championships … In 2013 she had a goal and an assist in six games as the Czechs finished fourth overall … Her goal came in a 5-3 quarterfinal win over Finland.
 
Daria O'Neill (D • Carlyle, Saskatchewan • Edge School)
O'Neill led the Edge in scoring this season with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points … In the JWHL this season the Edge finished 14-10-4, they also won bronze at the 2015 JWHL Challenge Cup … O'Neill also won bronze with Team Alberta at the 2015 Canada Winter Games … She had three points in six games during the tournament including the game-winning goal against Nova Scotia … She also competed for Team Alberta at the 2013 National Women's Under-18 Championship at the age of 16 … Team Alberta finished third in that tournament as well, it was the first-ever medal for Alberta at the event … O'Neill's cousin Brendan Morrow is a current member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, competing in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against Chicago.
 
Saana Valkama (F • Pirkkala, Finland • Ilves Tampere/Finland National Team)
Valkama played last season with Ilves Tampere in the Finnish women's league … She represented Finland at the 2014 Four Nations Cup in Kamloops, British Columbia, playing in four games … Valkama began her international career at the 2011 U-18s, in six games she had three goals and one assist … She scored the final goal in a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game … At the 2012 U18's she was an assistant captain as Finland finished fifth overall … She had one goal in four games … In the spring of 2012 Valkama played in Burlington, Vt. during the Women's World Championships … She skated in six games, all at Gutterson Fieldhouse as Finland finished fourth overall.