Women's Hockey | 8/2/2018 10:50:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – Six highly talented newcomers are set to join the women's hockey team for the 2018-19 season. The class of six student-athletes includes four forwards and two defensemen. Three players hail from Canada, while three are from the United States.
 
Up front, Hunter Barnett (Caledon, Ontario/Mississauga Jr. Chiefs), Abby Davies (Ashton, Ontario/Ottawa Lady Senators), McKinley Karpa (Ipswich, MA/The Taft School) and Venice Rasoulis (Naperville, IL/Chicago Mission) will look to compete for playing time right away. Defensemen Madison Itagaki (Glenview, IL/Chicago Mission) and Taylor Sims (Deep River, Ontario/Ontario Lady Senators) will also look to crack the lineup as first-year student-athletes.
 
Barnett, a 5-foot-6 forward, played the last two seasons for the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs of the Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL), recording 15 goals and 15 assists in 76 games over that span. She recorded career-best totals of 11 goals and 8 assists in 38 games during the 2017-18 season.
 
Davies was a member of the Ottawa Lady Senators of the PWHL. She had 14 goals and 12 assists over the last 76 games, spanning two years. Davies, who stands 5-foot-5, served as an assistant captain in 2017-18. She recorded nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 38 games last season, while scoring three game-winning goals.
 
Karpa, a 5-foot-4 forward, played for both Ipswich High School and the Taft School in 2017-18. She enjoyed an incredible 2017-18 season, leading all Massachussets High School players in scoring with 73 points on 37 goals and 36 assists. Karpa recorded 156 points on 84 goals and 72 assists in three seasons at Ipswich and was a two-time team MVP at Ipswich and two-time member of the Boston Herald "Dream Team."
 
Rasoulis, who stands 5-foot-4, played for the Chicago Mission in 2017-18 alongside fellow incoming freshman Madison Itagaki. Rasoulis helped the Mission win five Illinois State titles, two USA National Bronze Medals and a silver medal. In addition, she played interscholastically at Naper Valley High School, scoring 17 goals in 16 games last season, while playing in the 2018 Illinois All-State All-Star game.
 
Itagaki, a 5-foot-3 blueliner, played alongside Rasoulis for the Chicago Mission, serving as an assistant captain last season.  She helped the Mission win five Illinois State titles, two USA National Bronze Medals and a silver medal. Itagaki also played interscholastically, leading Glenbrook South High School to the Illinois State Championship in 2017. She was a two-time All-Illinois selection and was named the Illinois High School Player of the Year in 2017.
 
Sims played the last two seasons with the Ottawa Lady Senators of the PWHL, recording 10 assists in 74 games over two seasons. She had eight assists and 26 penalty minutes in 38 games during the 2017-18 season, while also playing in seven playoff games.
 
RIT hosts Ryerson University in an exhibition contest on Sept. 23 and begins the 2018-19 regular season with a pair of home games the following weekend against College of the Holy Cross.