LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs women's hockey team is pleased to announce their 2016 recruiting class with eight players, Alyssa Chiarello, Rachael Irvine, Rachel Armstrong, Shana Alexander, Shailyn Waites, Brianna Rice, Shelby Ryan, and Tareya Webster, set to don the purple and white this fall.
 
"We are very excited to be welcoming eight outstanding student-athletes to the Mustang family," said head coach Kelly Paton. "This is an extremely talented group of athletes who have potential to make an immediate positive impact on our program."
 
The Cambridge Rivulettes will have more representation on the purple and white roster than in previous years with two athletes set to come to London.
 
Alyssa Chiarello, coming out of Kitchener, joins the Mustangs as a former Ontario Cup and Celtic Cup champion. The 5-8 forward was attracted to Western after learning of Brescia's Urban Development major – a program rarely offered for undergraduate students.
 
"She plays an aggressive game with great outside speed," notes Paton. "Her stick skills around the net will provide her the opportunity to contribute offensively. We believe Alyssa will mature into an effective two-way forward that brings strong leadership skills."
 
Fellow Rivulette Rachael Irvine will also join the team as a forward. Hailing from St. George, Ontario, the 5-6 Science student chose to attend Western for the nationally recognized excellent student experience, and to "follow in [her] dad's footsteps."
 
"Rachael has proven to be a strong contributor in the PWHL," said Paton of the St. George native's potential. "Her skating and shooting ability will allow her to seamlessly adjust to the college game. Rachael is capable of contributing at both ends of the rink while continuing to develop her offensive skills."
 
Challenging the Rivulette representatives for ice time is fellow forward Rachel Armstrong. A two-time Challenge Cup Champion with the Burlington Junior Barracudas, the Waterdown, Ontario, native says that, "choosing to attend Western was one of the easiest decisions I've made. Western's reputation for both academics and athletics is second to none."
 
Coach Paton describes Armstrong as "a proven goal scorer that brings strong leadership abilities to our program. Our expectation is that Rachel continues to develop her offensive game while using her size and speed to be an effective player at both ends of the rink"
 
Armstrong is a former member of the East Coast Selects Team – with whom she travelled across Europe – and previously found success in both soccer and touch football while competing for Waterdown District High School.
 
Shana Alexander, hailing from Bainsville, Ontario, is a former PWHL Champion with the Nepean Wildcats, and joins the Mustangs from the Ottawa Lady Sens. Her decision to come to Western was largely informed by the reputation for elite athletics and academics, as she intends to pursue a degree in Engineering.
 
"She plays an aggressive game with great tenacity around the net," said Paton. "We know that she's an effective goal scorer and expect her to make immediate contributions offensively while maturing and developing her defensive side of the game."
 
The final addition to the forward ranks is Shailyn Waites, who comes to the Mustangs after two seasons as a Windsor Lancer.
 
Her first two seasons of OUA play saw the 5-6 Psychology student pick up 28 points throughout 48 games. Waites recorded 17 assists and 11 goals, with four of those coming on the power play and two serving as game winners.
 
"Throughout her time with Windsor Shailyn proved to have strong leadership abilities, serving as an assistant captain in her second year," said Paton. "Her work ethic and strong skating abilities allow her to be tenacious on the puck. With previous OUA experience, we expect Shailyn to a strong leader in our program."
 
She attributes the decision to join the purple and white program to a dedicated and knowledgeable coaching staff who are able to develop athletes as individuals as well as a team. 
 
Prior to suiting up for Windsor, Waites was named Essex County Girls Hockey MVP and Player of the Year, while also reaching the OMHA semi-finals and helping her team secure a top eight ranking in the PWHL.
 
The purple and white will see three new additions on the defensive side of things in defenceman Brianna Rice, and two goaltenders in Shelby Ryan and Tareya Webster.
 
Returning to her home-province of Ontario after beginning her university career in the NCAA, Rice is poised to make a big impact in the CIS in her two remaining years of eligibility.
 
"She plays a physical game, using both her size and skating ability to make good decisions with the puck," noted Paton. "She has the potential to add a lot to our defensive core. With previous NCAA experience, we expect Brianna to bring experience and maturity to our program."  
 
Her rookie season at NCAA Division III Chatham University landed her a spot in the record books as her 18 points made her the Cougars highest scoring freshman of all-time while leading the team in total points. The 2013-14 season also saw her be named ECAC Player of the Week following a six-point weekend.
 
Rice spent the following two seasons at NCAA Division III Oswego State, where she saw the ice in 53 games, recording 33 points on 18 goals and 15 assists. Of her 18 goals, five came on the power play and three were game winners.
 
The 6-0 defenceman noted that her decision to transfer a little closer to home was largely due to the academic and athletic excellence that has come to define Western University.
 
Shelby Ryan will be the second athlete hailing from Atlantic Canada to appear on the 2016-17 roster, joining fellow Nova Scotian Catherine O'Connor.
 
"We are thrilled to add Shelby to our goaltending trio," said Paton. "She brings experience at the provincial level to our program, and we expect Shelby to continue to develop her athletic abilities and mature into an elite goaltender in this league."
 
The Cole Harbour native won't have a problem adjusting to Ontario hockey, as she spent time with the perennial powerhouse Appleby College before graduating from Rothesay Netherwood School in New Brunswick.
 
Ryan also received appointments to the 2015 U18 Team Nova Scotia, and 2015 U18 Team Atlantic.
 
Also stepping into the crease for the Mustangs is Tareya Webster.
 
Webster joins the Mustangs from Dawson College in Quebec as a CEGEP All-Star with a number of championships under her belt.
 
"Tareya will bring a wealth of playing experience," said Paton. "We expect her to continue to develop and mature her play in the crease to become an elite goaltender."
 
Most recently, she helped the Dawson College Blues to the Washington Challenge Cup Championship, while also helping the Blues to end the regular season at the top of the RSEQ. Outside of Dawson athletics, she also attended Team Quebec training camp.
 
The new recruits, along with the returning Mustangs, will hit the ice for their first regular season action on October 7 when they welcome the Guelph Gryphons to Thompson Arena for a rematch of the last two McCaw Cup finals.
 
Note: Athletes who commit to Mustangs teams will be eligible to compete at Western provided they are academically admissible to Western University and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities' Application Centre in Guelph, Ont.