POTSDAM — The SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team reached the SUNYAC playoffs last season. The Bears enter 2026-27 with an entirely new coaching staff and several new players. They face their first test against No. 13 Elmira College on Friday at 3 p.m.

Rachel Corbett has been named Potsdam’s interim head coach. Corbett was a three-time captain at Oswego State and spent last season as an assistant coach at Utica University. She is joined by assistant coach Abbi Komrofske, who played four seasons at Arcadia University. Komrofske was the 2022-23 Middle Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year, earned second-team All-MAC honors and was named to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference All-Rookie Team.

Captains
Seniors Jessika Bullock of Norfolk and Jalynn Castro of Dexter, along with junior Maddy Ferguson of Oakville, Ontario, will serve as the Bears’ captains.

Forwards
Along with Castro, the Bears have one junior, four sophomores and eight freshmen at forward.
Olivia Visco of West Seneca is the lone junior. She recorded one goal and one assist in 23 games last season.
Sophomore Coralie Paradis of Montreal was Potsdam’s fourth-leading scorer last season, with five goals and three assists in 26 games. Sophomore Marissa Whiteside of Long Sault, Ontario, recorded two goals and one assist while appearing in every game. Sophomores Tegan Konecnik of Fenton, Missouri, and Sophia Leas of Whitehorse, Yukon, each scored one goal in 26 and 24 games, respectively.
The freshman forwards include two players from New York, one from Vermont, one from Virginia, one from Pennsylvania, two from Ontario and one from New Brunswick.
Kylie Couch of Ottawa, Ontario, played 50 games for the Bourget Voltigeurs last season, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists. Sophie Orlicky of Kemptville, Ontario, recorded 14 points on six goals and eight assists in 47 games with the East Ottawa Stars.
Bailey Walsh of Poestenkill played 39 games for Mountain Cats Academy, recording four goals and 17 assists for 21 points.
Campbell Hegerty of Vienna, Virginia, joins the Bears from the Washington Pride. Sophia Amaya-Gutierrez, a Plattsburgh native, played for the Adirondack 46ers.
Kiersten MacKinnon of Moncton, New Brunswick, joins Potsdam after playing for the Mount Academy Saints. Samantha Kaczorowski of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, played for Detroit Belle Tire.
March Lumbra of Montpelier, Vermont, rounds out the group after playing for Rice Prep last season.

Defense
Bullock, junior Ryanne Rathburn of North Syracuse and sophomore Jayne Gamburg of Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania, are the returning defensemen. Gamburg will also see time at forward.
Rathburn and Gamburg each played in 22 games last season, with Gamburg recording four assists.
Three freshmen join the defensive unit. Kalyn Freeman of West Chester, Pennsylvania, recorded eight assists in 52 games with the North American Hockey Academy last season.
Brook Many Grey Horses of Lethbridge, Alberta, joins the Bears after recording nine goals and four assists in 28 games with the Lethbridge Eagles.
Brooke Balogh of Jackson, Wyoming, is the first hockey player from Wyoming to join the Potsdam program.

Goaltenders
Ferguson and sophomore Anouk Belmans of Beerse, Belgium, return in goal for Potsdam.
Last spring, Belmans represented Belgium at the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship in Hong Kong.
Freshman Sydney Sammut of Oakville, Ontario, is the newest addition to the Bears’ goaltending corps. She recorded a 2.28 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in 47 games for the Brampton Jr. Canadettes.

Schedule
After opening the season against Elmira, Potsdam will host Nazareth University on Saturday at 3 p.m. for the teams’ first meeting.
The following weekend, the Bears travel to Hartford, Connecticut, for a two-game series against the University of Saint Joseph, which is in its first season of women’s hockey.
Potsdam opens SUNYAC play at home against SUNY Cortland on Nov. 13 and SUNY Morrisville on Nov. 14. The Bears also have nonconference road games against Chatham University on Dec. 4-5 and will face Worcester State at the Castleton Invitational on Jan. 2.
Potsdam hosts Middlebury College on Jan. 5 and Utica University on Jan. 12. The Bears will play their usual 14-game SUNYAC schedule.
All home games will be streamed live on potsdambears.com, with Bears Hall of Fame coach John Horan providing play-by-play and analysis for most contests. Five games will be broadcast on My Mix 96.1 FM, with Taylor Salisbury handling play-by-play duties.