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Four Knights selected in CWHL draft

Posted 8/21/14

Four recently graduated members of the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team, who helped lead the Golden Knights to the NCAA Championship title this past March, have been selected in the 2014 …

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Four Knights selected in CWHL draft

Posted

Four recently graduated members of the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team, who helped lead the Golden Knights to the NCAA Championship title this past March, have been selected in the 2014 Canadian Women's Hockey League Draft.

Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT), Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE), Carly Mercer (Exeter, ONT) and Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) were among the 58 players selected in the fifth annual entry draft for the Canadian Women's Hockey League, which was held on August 19.

Rattray was the first selection in the second round, chosen by the Brampton Thunder. Gagnon went to the Montreal Stars with the fifth pick in the second round. Mercer and Howe join Rattray as Brampton draft choices, going as the first selections in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

The 2014 CWHL Draft took place Tuesday night via conference call, with general managers from each team announcing which players they intend to sign in 19 total rounds, starting with Brampton, then followed by Toronto, Calgary and Boston, with Montreal concluding each round.

Recognized as the best player in Clarkson's 11-year history, Rattray was honored as the top player in women's hockey last year, winning the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. A first-team All-American and ECAC Hockey Player of the Year also highlighted her resume. She averaged over a point per game as Clarkson's all-time leading scorer with 181 career points on 77 goals and 104 assists through 147 games and posted a +84. Rattray had 20 game-winners, 26 power-play goals and three hat tricks during her collegiate career.

Gagnon was the 2014 NCAA Tournament Elite 89 award winner, named the recipient of ECAC Hockey's prestigious Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year Award, voted ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Forward, chosen as a Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Women's At-Large first team and is ECAC Hockey's representative for 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year. She skated in 148 career games at Clarkson, finishing with 33 goals and 36 assists.

As a two-year captain, Mercer led Clarkson to its two best seasons ever, capped off by the University's first ever NCAA Championship in her senior campaign. She is Clarkson's second all-time leading scorer with 150 points on 53 goals and 97 assists through 153 games. Mercer was a second-team ECAC Hockey All-Star forward.

A four-year starter in the Knights' crease, Howe is Clarkson's all-time winningest goaltender with a 90-32-15 career record, including 29 shutouts. She posted a .932 save percentage and a 1.57 goals against average. Howe was a three-time ECAC Hockey All-Star, twice won the league's Goaltender of the Year honor and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.