BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont women's hockey head coach Jim Plumer has announced his recruiting class for the upcoming 2017-18 season. The eight members of the Class of 2021 are comprised of five forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie. The class includes a Vermont native, three players from Minnesota, and two Canadians.
 
"This is a large, and very important class for us and I'm pleased to welcome them all to the UVM women's hockey family," said Plumer. "We have a great combination of talent and character throughout this group and I am very confident that they will immediately mesh with our returning players and the culture we have been working hard to create. I'm excited to see this new group help us take the next step in Hockey East."
 
Valerie Caldwell • 5'6 • F • Glenview, Ill. • Loyola Academy • Chicago Mission
Caldwell graduated from Loyola Academy as the program's all-time leading girl's scorer with 112 goals and 49 assists for 161 points. She helped lead Loyola to the Illinois state title in 2016 and three state runner-up finishes. Caldwell was also a standout for the Chicago Mission AAA team, winning four consecutive state titles from 2013-17. The Mission was also the national runner-up this past season and earned third-place finishes in 2014 and 2015. Last season, Caldwell netted 16 goals and 26 assists for the Chicago Mission, along with 27 total goals for Loyola.
 
Greta Close • 5'7 • D • Norwich, Vt. • Kimball Union Academy
Close was a two-year captain and three-time Lakes Region All-Star at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire. This past season, she was also named a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Division II All-Star on defense. The Norwich, Vermont native was a Lakes Region All-Star in lacrosse and served as a team captain last season. Close's father Stuart is a 1983 graduate of UVM and three of her aunts attended the university.
 
Anna Erickson • 5-4 • F/D • Stillwater, Minn. • Minnesota Connections Academy • Madison Capitols
Erickson comes to Vermont from the Madison Capitols in Wisconsin, where she posted 14 points in 38 games last season. She previously played for Tier I Minnesota Connections Academy in St. Paul and was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection in high school hockey. She was also an All-Conference performer for the lacrosse team and scored more than 100 goals in her career. Her brother Jake was a member of last year's Division III NCAA Championship men's hockey team at Norwich University. Erickson's other brother Josh is a former First Team All-American in men's lacrosse at St. John's.
 
Taylor Flaherty • 5'9 • D • Lakeville, Minn. • Lakeville North • North Dakota (WCHA)
Flaherty is a transfer from North Dakota and will be immediately eligible to play two seasons for Catamounts. She skated in 39 games at North Dakota on defense with one goal and one assist. Previously, Flaherty was a five-year varsity letterwinner at Lakeville North High School, which won three straight South Suburban Conference titles from 2012-14. She helped lead Lakeville North to third place finishes in the Minnesota State Tournament in both 2013 and 2014. Flaherty registered at least 20 points in each of her final four years of high school hockey, including a career-high 25 in 2012-13.
 
Alyssa Holmes • 5'4 • F • Burlington, Ontario • Corpus Christi • Stoney Creek
Holmes played for Stoney Creek in the Provincial Women's Hockey League (Ontario) last season. She was the team's fifth-leading scorer in the regular season with 14 points in 35 games as Stoney Creek fell in the quarterfinals. During her junior season, she led the Stoney Creek Midget AA team in goals (10) and points (19) in 22 regular season games. A versatile high school athlete, Holmes was named Athlete of the Year at Corpus Christi High School in both 2015 and 2017. She was a three-time MVP in field hockey and track & field (middle distance), and also lettered in soccer, volleyball and badminton.
 
Olivia Kilberg • 5'4 • F • Edina, Minn. • Edina
Kilberg won the Minnesota State Championship last season with Edina High School after posting a career-high 33 points on 14 goals and 19 assists. She was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection, won the Hobey Baker Character Award, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. The forward registered 23 points on six goals and 17 assists as a junior in 2015-16. Kilberg was also an All-Conference and All-State performer in lacrosse and served as the captain at Edina as a senior.
 
Sierra Natzke • 5'6 • G • Pine, Colo. • Conifer • Lansing Spartans
Natzke joins the Catamounts after a stellar season in net for the U-19 Lansing Spartans in Michigan with a 2.14 goals against average, .902 save percentage, 23 wins, and 12 shutouts. The Colorado native attended Conifer High School and played club hockey in her home state. The rookie goaltender will compete for playing time with junior Melissa Black and sophomore Sydney Scobee after the departure of Second Team Hockey East All-Star Madison Litchfield, who graduated as the program's all-time wins leader (32).
 
Kristina Shanahan • 5'4 • F • Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec • Pointe-Claire • Dawson College
Shanahan was a captain at Pointe-Claire High School in Quebec and won a league championship in 2015. In 2016, she received a scholarship from the Montreal Canadiens at the Quebec Athletic Excellence Foundation and attended Dawson College, where her team reached the CEGEP Finals in each of her two seasons. This past season, she led the squad in scoring and ranked fifth in CEGEP with 20 goals and 33 points in 24 regular season games. Her father Kevin played two years of hockey for St. Francis Xavier University in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). 

The Windjammer & Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the women's hockey team