CALGARY – With her program fresh off its first season back in CIS competition since 2002, University of Calgary women's hockey coach Danielle Goyette announced Tuesday an addition to her coaching staff along with her recruiting class for the 2010-11 season.

Goyette will be joined by former teammate Kelly Bechard behind the Dinos' bench next season. The two played together for several years on the Canadian national team, winning four world championships along with the 2002 Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City.

Prior to her time on the national team, Bechard played for the first-ever Dinos women's hockey team in 1997-98, earning a spot on the inaugural CIS All-Canadian team and the University of Calgary's Award of Merit. She went on to play several seasons in both the Western Women's Hockey League with the Calgary Oval X-Treme and the National Women's Hockey League's Brampton Thunder and Mississauga Aeros.

Bechard is a graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

“Kelly is going to bring so much to this team when she joins us this fall,” said Goyette. “She has been a student-athlete, so she knows what it takes to perform at this level and the stresses the players have to deal with. Her international playing experience will be a significant asset, as she knows what it takes to be successful both on and off the ice. I'm very excited to have Kelly join us.”

Goyette also announced her 2010-11 recruiting class Tuesday, with six new players set to hit the ice for the Dinos this fall. One Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) veteran and four products of the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL), including a pair of Grande Prairie Storm teammates, join one graduate of the Saskatchewan AAA midget league as the newest members of the University of Calgary women's hockey squad.

Here's a player-by-player look at the incoming recruiting class:

AMANDA TAPP • Goaltender • Strathmore Rockies (WWHL) • Calgary, Alta.

Veteran netminder Amanda Tapp should be comfortable in the crease at the Olympic Oval when she suits up for the Dinos this fall, after having played for the Calgary Oval X-Treme of the WWHL for several seasons as a teammate of Danielle Goyette. She appeared in 10 games with the Strathmore Rockies in 2009-10.

A Calgary native, Tapp spent one season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth playing for former Team Canada head coach Shannon Miller in 1999-2000 before embarking on her professional career. She was the top goaltender at the 2008 Esso Women's Nationals and led the X-Treme to the 2007 national championship, posting a 3-0 shutout win in the final.

Goyette on Tapp: “Having played for the Oval X-Treme for many years, Amanda has so much experience that she'll be able to share with our younger goaltenders. She is consistent, a big presence in the net, and technically very strong. She is a great competitor, and I'm very excited she'll be joining the Dinos this season.”

Tapp will study in the Faculty of Arts.

JENNA SMITH • Forward • Swift Current Wildcats • Swift Current, Sask.

Jenna Smith joins the Dinos from the Swift Current Wildcats where she posted 29 points in 26 games last season, good enough for 11th in the Saskatchewan female AAA league scoring race. Her hockey resume includes a number of championships, most notably the 2008 Mac's Midget female title, and she is a veteran of the Saskatchewan U-18 team that competed in the national championship last season. A versatile offensive threat, Smith will shore up the Dinos' power play unit.

Goyette on Smith: “Jenna will be an impact player immediately. She's a power forward, she creates a lot of offence, and she can even play the point. I'm excited to have her on the ice this fall.”

Smith will study in the Faculty of Arts, with the goal of entering law school after her undergraduate work.

CHELSEA PETERSON • Forward • Red Deer Chiefs • Red Deer, Alta.

Peterson put up impressive numbers in her final AAA midget season with the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs, posting 30 points in 32 games including 21 goals. Standing six-foot-one, Peterson will bring size and power to the Calgary offence and lists the quality coaching staff as the key reason she chose to attend the University of Calgary.

Goyette on Peterson: “Chelsea is big and strong, and she will cause match-up problems for other teams. She'll be an offensive threat for us right away.”

Peterson will study in the Faculty of Kinesiology.

ERIKA MITSCHKE • Forward • Calgary Bruins • Calgary, Alta.

A Calgary native who started skating at age three, Mitschke is a product of the Calgary female hockey development program. The team captain of the Calgary Chaos in 2008-09, she moved across town to the Bruins for her final midget season and led her team in goals for the third consecutive year. She put up 38 points in 32 games with the Bruins last year, finishing in the top 10 in league scoring, and is a two-time AMMFHL all-star.

Goyette on Mitschke: “Erika is a solid two-way player. She is a threat in the offensive zone but she also plays solid defence, and her work ethic is second to none.”

Mitschke will study in the Haskayne School of Business.

KIRA SONNENBERG • Forward • Grande Prairie Storm • Sexsmith, Alta.

A product of the Grande Prairie Minor Hockey Association, Sonnenberg joins the Dinos from her hometown of Sexsmith, Alta., population 2,255. She participated in the 2006 Alberta Winter Games, followed a year later by an appearance in the inaugural Team Alberta Challenge. She has spent the last three seasons in the AMMFHL, earning all-star nods in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 and leading her Grande Prairie Storm team in scoring with 15 goals and 26 points in 32 games during her final campaign.

Goyette on Sonnenberg: “Kira is quick, and she sees the ice well. She is going to be a solid playmaker for us.”

Sonnenberg will study in the Faculty of Science.

KIERSTEN GIESBRECHT • Goaltender • Grande Prairie Storm • Grande Prairie, Alta.

The starting netminder for the Grande Prairie Storm last season, Giesbrecht joins teammate Kira Sonnenberg as new members of the Dinos in 2010-11. In her final year of midget AAA, Giesbrecht posted a .906 save percentage. Standing five-foot-nine, she will bring added size into the goaltending position for the Dinos.

Goyette on Giesbrecht: “Kiersten is going to contribute once she gets some experience at the CIS level and becomes more consistent, and I'm looking forward to working with her.”

Giesbrecht will study in the Faculty of Kinesiology.

The Dinos open their sophomore CIS season with a two-game trip to Regina Oct. 8-9 before hosting the Lethbridge Pronghorns Oct. 15 for their home opener.

-UC-