ORONO, Maine -- On Aug. 3, the University of Maine women's ice hockey team announced the addition of six new players in the 2021 class.

The class features four forwards and two defensemen. The five members of last year's senior class finished their careers with some exciting accomplishments such as most wins in program history, earning a top-10 national rank for the longest period of time in program history, winning the first-ever playoff game for the program, attending the first Women's Hockey East Association (WHEA) final four weekend and finishing the highest in the WHEA in program history.
 
"Recruiting is one aspect of a program that is essential for growth, but replacing one of the most successful classes in program history makes it even more critical," head coach Richard Reichenbach said. "We have been working extremely hard and have looked all over the world for athletes that would fit in with the direction we are wanting to take the program."

"The result of our hard work is a class of six that represents how we want to play; with speed, smart, relentless, and with the puck on our stick," added Recichenbach. "I think this class will help us continue our journey towards making this program a championship one."
 
Read more on the six members of the Class of 2021 below, including comments on each recruit from assistant coach Sara Reichenbach.

Celine Tedenby
5'6" • Forward
Örnsköldsvik, SWE • MODO (SDHL)
 
Tedenby played the last six years with the MODO organization in the SDHL in Sweden and with the Swedish U18 National program where she participated in three world championships. She has registered 15 goals and 11 assist in 36 game this past season with MODO.

Sara Reichenbach: "Celine is a player that will add a lot of skill and offense to our line-up. She created many opportunities in the offense zone and has a great shot. She has the speed and skill needed to have success at our level. We are excited to welcome her to Orono in the fall."

Alexandra Johnson
5'7 • Forward
Milwaukee, WI. • Milwaukee Jr. Admirals (T1EHL)
 
Johnson, who played for the Jr. Admirals in the T1 EHL, finished her 2017-2018 season with 32 goals and 14 assists in 66 games.
 
Sara Reichenbach: "Ali has speed, strength, grit, can shoot and battles. She has a pure love for the game and for executing what is required to have success. She will be a great addition and we are excited to work with such a passionate and determined player. It nice to know you are bringing a player in that will have an impact on the ice, but knowing for sure that her impact will be just as much off-ice is always exciting as a staff."
 
Ali Beltz
5'7" • Forward
New ULM, MN • New Ulm (MN HS hockey)
 
Beltz, a member of the New Ulm Girl's Hockey program for the last six seasons, collected an impressive 68 goals and 39 assists in 30 games last season. These numbers earned her the top point scorer award in all of the girls and boys HS school hockey in Minnesota. She was also honored with the Herb Brooks award, which recognizes the most qualified hockey player in the state tournament who strongly represents the values, characteristics, and traits that defined Herb Brooks.
 
Sara Reichenbach: "Ali encompasses the full package. She can score, she has size, she has speed, she has relentless effort and is an amazing teammate. She has all the tools to excel at this level and combined with her attitude her ceiling is limitless. We are excited to help develop such a talented player and we look forward to being around her daily."
 
Liga Miljone
5'1" • Forward
Riga, LAT. • Leksands (SDHL)
 
Miljone has spent the last five season playing in Sweden in the SDHL. Last season she played with Leksands and finished the season with eight goals and seven assists in 28 games. Liga has also participated in six World Championships, representing Latvia.
 
Sara Reichenbach: "Liga is a dynamic player that is a blast to watch. She has speed and skill and battles. Although, she is smaller in size she packs a punch, with her strength and competitiveness level she does not shy away from anything or anyone, she will challenge her teammates in practice and push the pace. It will be exciting to see her in practice each and help her grow her game."
 
Ida Press
5'9" • Defenseman
Uppsala, SWE • Leksands (SDHL)
 
Press, is a native of Uppsala, Sweden and played in the SDHL since she was 15 years old. She finished this past season with Leksands, where she compiled a pair of goals and 20 assists in 32 games. Ida has also participated in the U18 World Championships in 16-17 and 15-16 representing Sweden.
 
Sara Reichenbach: "Ida is the kind of player that relaxes everyone around her with her calm and confident demeanor. She is smooth skater, patient with the puck, has great vision and has a great shot. Her ability to make plays under pressure, which will help her have success here as teams tend pressure us a lot. We are looking forward to continuing her development her game here."
 
Nicole Pateman
5'11 • Defense
London, Ontario • London Devilettes (PWHL)
 
Pateman played three seasons for the London Devilettes in Ontario and was an assistant captain for two seasons. She had one of her strongest seasons this past year with two goals and eight assists, placing her in the top tier of points among defensemen. Pateman also had the opportunity to represent Ontario in the 2017 national women's under 18 tournament.

Sara Reichenbach: "Nicole will certainly be a physical presence on the ice for us next season. She has size, but also the speed to go with it. When she starts going up ice it is hard to stop her. Her ability to skate with the puck and make great passes will add a great amount to our style of play. We are excited to work with her and take her game to a new level."

The Black Bears open the 2018-19 season with an exhibition against the University of New Brunswick on Sept. 28 before officially kicking off the regular season on Oct. 5 at Quinnipiac.

-UMaine-