BOSTON – The Northeastern women's hockey program and head coach Dave Flint announced the addition of eight talented newcomers in the 2018 incoming class on Thursday. Chloe Aurard, Mia Brown, Gillian Foote, Sydney Herrington, Emma Jurusik, Alina Mueller, Miceala Sindoris and Brooke Tucker will join 17 returning letterwinners on a team that won the Hockey East championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament a season ago. 

"We will be adding quality depth on both sides of the puck and will look to our new players to contribute to our program in many different ways," Flint explained. " We have several incoming players with international experience and many players with plenty of experience in big games. We believe that adding this talented group of newcomers to our returning team will result in another highly-competitive season."
    Getting to know Chloe Aurard: A left-shooting forward from Villard-de-Lans, France, Chloe Aurard joins the Northeastern family from Vermont Academy, where she starred as a four-sport athlete. On the ice, Aurard was named the league (NEPSAC) MVP in 2018 as Vermont Academy claimed the NEPSAC crown and the 2018 Lakes Region championship. Aurard also has experience on the international level with the French National Team, having recently helped the squad gain promotion from Division I to the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship.

Flint on Aurard: "We expect Chloe to make a significant offensive contribution right away. She plays with a lot of poise, has an excellent hockey IQ, and has pin-point accuracy with a heavy shot. Aside from her offensive abilities, she is not afraid to hunt pucks and fight through high-traffic areas. Chloe plays with an edge, which will allow her to excel at the college level."
 
Getting to know Mia Brown: A native of South Woodstock, Vermont, Mia Brown comes to Northeastern from Kimball Union Academy and the East Coast Wizards program. Brown was named First Team All-NEPSAC and a Lakes Region All-Star in both ice hockey and lacrosse during her senior year. The forward was also honored on the All-State Team for three years and won the Wizards Tournament championship in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Flint on Brown: "Mia plays a great 200-foot game. She is excellent defensively and has outstanding shot-blocking abilities. We will look to Mia to help shut down other teams' top offensive players. Offensively, Mia does a great job finding space in scoring areas and has one of the quickest shot releases we have seen at the youth level. She is very intelligent in all facets of the game and will add some quality depth to our offense." 
 
Getting to know Gillian Foote: A defender from London, Ontario, Gillian Foote comes to Huntington Avenue from A.B. Lucas Secondary School and the Bluewater Jr. Hawks (PWHL) program. Foote also played for Team Ontario Blue (2016) and Team Ontario Red (2017), helping the latter to a national championship in Quebec City. Foote was previously invited to Hockey Canada's U-18 May camp, and also Strength and Conditioning camps in both 2016 and 2017. 

Flint on Foote: "Gillian will add size and strength to our defensive corps. She has a heavy, accurate shot and will be able to provide some offense from the blue line. While we expect her to contribute offensively, Gillian is an outstanding two-way defender with great skating ability. She has good gap control on the rush and does an excellent job executing the first pass on the breakout."
 
Getting to know Sydney Herrington: A forward from Bow, New Hampshire, Sydney Herrington comes to Northeastern from Bishop Brady High School. The younger sister of alumna Shelby Herrington, Sydney starred in both ice hockey and tennis in high school, earning 'Athlete of the Season' accolades in hockey and 'Tennis Player of the Season' honors by the Concord Monitor following her senior campaigns. Herrington racked up 93 goals and 54 assists during her final two seasons on the ice and was named her team's MVP in 2017-18. 

Flint on Herrington: "Syd is another two-way forward that will add some great depth to our offensive unit. She has a nice scoring touch around the net and is very intelligent defensively. We will also rely on her in the faceoff circle and look for her to contribute offensively as well. She has great size and a good skill set that will allow her to make a quick transition to the college game."
 
Getting to know Emma Jurusik: A forward from Western Springs, Illinois, Emma Jurusik joins the Northeastern family from Lyons Township High School and the Chicago Mission program. Jurusik scored four goals vs. the Burlington Barracudas in the 2017 Kitchener Cup and helped her team to seven state titles and a league championship. Emma comes from a hockey family as her father, Michael, played collegiately at Hamilton College, while her brother, Matthew, played at Wisconsin from 2015-17. 

Flint on Jurusik: "Emma is an excellent two-way forward who is outstanding defensively and has great offensive upside. She does a great job in the defensive zone and will be heavily relied upon in the faceoff circle. She is a very intelligent player and is rarely out of position. Emma also has a knack for scoring big goals in big moments so we expect her to contribute offensively as well."
 
Getting to know Alina Mueller: A two-time Olympian and three-time Women's World Championship participant, forward Alina Mueller joins Northeastern from the Zurich Lions and the Swiss National Team. Mueller previously helped Switzerland capture the bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and became the youngest player in Olympic history to win a medal at the competition. At PyeongChang 2018, Mueller led the tournament in scoring with 10 points in six games and was named the 'Best Forward' of the competition, while also landing on the Olympic women's hockey All-Star Team. Mueller was also named the MVP of the Swiss Women's Hockey League A in 2017-18, while helping the Zurich Lions to the league title.

Flint on Mueller: "Alina is a world-class player who will have an immediate impact on our offense. She has great vision and playmaking ability, but is also a proven goal scorer. She plays a 200-foot game and will be someone that we expect to contribute in all game situations. Her experience and success in two Olympic tournaments with the Swiss National Team will allow her to make a seamless transition to the speed and physicality of the college game."
 
Getting to know Miceala Sindoris: A local product from Charlestown, Massachusetts, Miceala Sindoris joins Northeastern from Worcester Academy, where she starred in ice hockey, field hockey and softball. On the ice, Sindoris was named team MVP and a NEPSAC Division II First Team All-Star in 2017-18, while also taking home the Harold D. Presson Award for the 'Best All-Around Athlete at Worcester Academy.' Additionally, Sindoris was named the Division II Player of the Year in 2016-17 as she helped her team to the NEPSAC championship. Sindoris was also invited to USA Hockey National Development camps from 2015-17.

Flint on Sindoris: "Mic is a player that excels at the little things; she blocks shots and has a great feel for the defensive zone. Offensively, she is excellent at putting herself in scoring areas and has good finishing ability. She is someone that can hurt the opposition all over the ice, whether it's on the rush, in the slot, or right at the goalmouth."
 

Getting to know Brooke Tucker: A right-shooting defender from Edina, Minnesota, Brooke Tucker comes to Northeastern after a standout career at Edina High School. Tucker helped her team to Class AA state championships in both 2016-17 and 2017-18, and was named to the All-Tournament Team in the 2018 Minnesota State High School Tournament. In the classroom, Tucker was honored as an Edina Scholar after maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or above throughout high school.

Flint on Tucker: "Brooke is a smooth-skating, two-way defender that keeps it simple and makes great decisions with the puck. She makes it very tough for the opposing team to create offensive chances because of her excellent positioning and great footwork. Her hockey IQ will allow her to contribute offensively and run our offense through the blue line. We expect Brooke to add a lot of depth to our defensive unit and compete for playing time right away."