In June, the men’s hockey class of 2012 was announced. The incoming freshman will consist of six forwards, one defenseman, and a goalie.

The graduation of the class of 2008 meant a loss of five forwards and two goalies for the male Engineers. Alex Angers-Goulet will join his brother Matt, while Patrick Cullen, Christen Morissette, Josh Rabbani, Justin Smith, and Jordan Watts round out the incoming forwards. Mike Bergin takes a defensive spot, while Allen York will tend goal with returning senior Mathias Lange for the coming season.

In addition to the men’s hockey recruits, the female Engineers are proud to announce a total of seven additional players to their squad for the upcoming season including three defensemen, three forwards, and one utility player able to skate either position. Backing up the blue line will be Amanda Castingnetti, Katie Daniels, and Sierra Vadner, while on the other end of things will be Laura Guillemette, Jill Vandergrift, and Alisa Harrison. Kristen Jakubowski awaits assignment on whether she will play forward or defense.

“Our staff has done a tremendous job in bringing in a group with strong skills and character,” said women’s Head Coach John Burke. “We expect them to be solid contributors throughout their four years at Rensselaer.”

AHCA President Named

The American Hockey Coaches Association announced in May that Seth Appert was selected by its members as their new president. Appert follows in the footsteps of University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky, under whom he got his coaching start. Gwozdecky will “act as an advisor to the board and particularly to the president,” as stated in the AHCA bylaws.

“We are thrilled that Seth has agreed to serve in this capacity,” said Joe Bertagna, AHCA executive director, in a press release. “His self-confidence and energy will give our organization a boost as we set out to meet the demands of our many constituencies.”

Appert will serve a three-year term as president, while he continues to guide the Engineers toward a championship.

The AHCA bylaws describe the duties of the president, including to be chair of the Ethics Committee, to represent the AHCA, and to prepare written correspondence with the NCAA, USA Hockey, NHL, USOC, and other such bodies with the executive director, as well as to initiate revisions to the constitution as necessary.

Kevin Anderson Hired

The RPI Hockey staff has been joined by Hockey Operations Coordinator Kevin Anderson. Having served three years at Notre Dame in a similar position, Anderson brings both knowledge and experience to the table.

His video coordination responsibilities include the pre-scouting of upcoming teams, breaking down of game tapes, team travel coordination, and community relations. In addition to this is organization of alumni and community events, as he will also act as special events coordinator.

Anderson has been active in college hockey since his undergraduate years at St. Cloud State University, where he volunteered as an assistant coach for two years. Both the men’s and women’s team will benefit from the addition of Anderson.

NHL Entry Draft

Sophomore defenseman Jeff Foss and incoming freshman defenseman Mike Bergin were selected in the NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, respectively.

In his time here, Foss has tallied one goal against Princeton and three assists. While he may not be the obvious star of a game, his teamwork and strong defensive play have helped the Engineers over the past year.

Foss is currently in pursuit of a mechanical engineering degree; he was also one of the 18 RPI men’s hockey players to be named to the ECAC All-Academic Team.

After playing one season in the Central Junior A Hockey League for the Smiths Falls Bears, Bergin will join the Engineers for 2008-2009. While with the Bears, he racked up 11 goals and 18 assists.

Bergin will begin his pursuit of a degree in management this fall.

The count of current engineers whom have been drafted is brought to four by Foss and Bergin. The San Jose Sharks drafted junior Christian Jensen in 2004 and the Columbus Blue Jackets chose rookie goaltender Allen York last year.

Schedules for both teams for the upcoming year have been released, and can be found online at http://rpiathletics.com/.