WINDSOR, Ont.- After finishing in the middle of the OUA pack the past two seasons, the Windsor Lancers women's hockey team will be looking to move up the conference ladder in their upcoming 2013-14 campaign.

The Lancers finished with a respectable 12-10-4 record in 2012-13, but ended the season by losing four of its last six contests which bumped the women down to sixth in the league heading into the playoffs.

Matched up against the CIS No. 7 ranked Queen's Gaels in the first round of the post-season, the Lancers started the series with an explosive 6-1 win against a team they were winless against in three regular season contests. However, Windsor could not keep the momentum going against the stingy Gaels, losing a tight Game 2 by a count of 3-2 before Queen's took the rubber match with a 7-1 triumph to eliminate the Lancers.

Heading into this season, the Lancers will be without top scorers Alyssa Baldin and Courtney Spoors, both of whom graduated at the end of last season. Baldin, who also served as Windsor's captain, was fifth in the conference scoring with 28 points, while Spoors tallied 22 points in her final year wearing the Blue and Gold.

Looking to fill the scoring void for Windsor will be senior forward Jenny MacKnight. The Regina, Sask. native was third in team scoring last season, balancing eight goals with 12 assists in 26 games played. Fellow fourth-year Candice Chevalier was second in goals scored for the Lancers last year, notching nine markers to go along with eight helpers for Windsor.

MacKnight and Chevalier (Essex, Ont.) top a returning core of eight skaters who all finished with 10 or more points last season. This includes defender Adelena Tridico, who was fifth amongst conference blue-liners, finishing with 17 points, including two goals. The hometown native highlights the defensive corps, which has been kept intact heading into the year. Jillian Rops (Sarnia, Ont.) and Lindsay Hoogstraten (St. George, Ont.) also add key pieces to the offense of Windsor's blue-line, as the defenders combined for nine goals and 16 assists throughout last year. 

The Lancers boast an experienced roster heading into 2013-14 with seven players entering their fourth year of eligibility and Hoogstraten heading into her fifth and final season. This is complimented by a six-player recruiting class that includes two new goaltenders, as head coach Jim Hunter will look towards Norwegian national Ingrid Sandven and Whitby, Ont. native Marissa Kozovski to solidify the women between the pipes. The Lancers are expecting an upgrade in this area, as Sandven was part of the Norwegian national team program while Kozovski is a Provincial Women's Hockey League (PWHL) champion.

Headlining the skaters of the recruiting class is Southwest Wildcats standout Erinn Noseworthy. The Appin, Ont. native tallied 24 goals and four assists before joining the Lancers for the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs last year. She picked up two goals and an assist in five regular season games and added two helpers in three playoff matches. Fellow Wildcat and Lancer recruit Laura Monforton (LaSalle, Ont.) was second to Noseworthy in team scoring with Southwest, tallying 10 goals and 27 points in 38 games played.