The William Smith College ice hockey team begins the 2016-17 season, its third season as a varsity program, this weekend with a pair of games against Salve Regina in Newport, R.I.
 
The Herons completed the 2015-16 season with an 8-15-2 overall record, a five-win improvement from their inaugural season in 2014-15. The end of January saw William Smith post a program-best four-game win streak, starting with a 4-1 victory over Buffalo State. During the streak, the Herons posted a pair of 4-1 wins over Division I Sacred Heart and a thrilling 5-4 overtime win at conference rival Oswego. William Smith was in the playoff hunt until the very last weekend of the regular season, but was edged out for the sixth and final spot after dropping the penultimate game of the regular season at Cortland in overtime. 
 
Head Coach Jaime Totten is now in her third season behind the bench for William Smith. She is the only coach the Herons have known and has guided the William Smith to an 11-36-3 record in its first two seasons. She returns a veteran laden team that is confident and ready to compete at the highest level..
 
"I have high expectations for this season," Totten said. "Our junior class has really taken over their leadership roles which is nice to see. Now that we are entering our third season we are starting to add more quality depth to the program and I think this will help us compete in every game this year. I think we have always played to the final whistle but the added depth will help us be in every game this season."
 
Here is a position-by-position look at William Smith:
 
FORWARD:
 
The Herons return a deep group of forwards that saw a lot of ice time last year. William Smith's top-line of junior Krista Federow and sophomores Stephanie Hampton and Maura Mulligan will return in tact. Federow, who is one of three returning captains, led the team in goals (12) and points (22) for the second straight year. She finished tied for the team lead with 10 assists. Federow is one of two players to play in all 50 games and has 23 goals, 18 assists and 41 points in her career. Hampton was third on the team with 12 points (5g, 7a). Mulligan's 11 points placed fourth on the team. She shared team-high assists honors with Federow. A majority of Mulligan's points came after she was moved to forward alongside Hampton and Federow in mid-January.
 
Junior Catherine Linehan enters her second year as a team captain looking to build off a solid sophomore campaign. She compiled four goals and two assists for six points a season ago. In two seasons, Linehan has nine goals and seven assists for 16 points. Kiley Fewster brings a veteran scoring touch to William Smith's offensive unit, she accounted for seven points last year, including five goals for the second straight season. Rachel McKay, Grace Durham, Morgan Bayreuther, and Lizzy Weingast also return for their junior seasons. McKay played in all 25 games in 2015-16, recording two assists against Potsdam. Durham also played in 25 games and netted a career-high six points on three goals and three assists. Bayreuther has played in 49 of the 50 games in program history and has tallied a career total of nine points (3g, 6a). Weingast saw action in 13 games last year.
 
Sophomore Tess Madarasz was fifth on the team with nine points (2g, 7a). She collected her first collegiate point last year in her collegiate debut against UMass Boston. Lindsay Brown is back after playing 23 games in her rookie season. She compiled two goals and two assists for four points. Her biggest goal of the season was the game-winning goal in overtime against Oswego. Egan Sachs-Hecht, Fallon Adair, and Rachael Barry will look to build off solid first seasons. Sachs-Hecht played in all 25 games and pocketed two goals and three assists for five points. Adair saw action in three games. Barry dressed in 22 games, scoring her first collegiate goal against Potsdam. Transfer Jordan Roetzer will look to make an immediate impact in the Herons offense. Roetzer comes to the Herons after spending a season at Manhattanville where she led the Valliants with 14 points (8g, 6a).
 
Defense
 
The defense remains intact from last season and will be led by junior captain Rebecca Begley. Begley finished 2015-16 second on the team with 15 points (8g, 7a). She is one of two players who has seen action in all 50 of William Smith's varsity games. Begley has compiled 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points. Junior Emily Burton is back for her junior season after tallying three points on a goal and two assists. In 48 career games, she has nine points (1g, 8a). Sarah Garrett will bring veteran leadership to the table this year. She saw action in all 25 games last season, blocking 12 shots. In 47 career games, she has a goal and three assists.
 
Sophomore Laura Rollins looks to build off a strong rookie season that saw her net two goals and three assists in 25 games. She scored her first collegiate goal against Chatham and had her first multi-point game against Morrisville. On the defensive end, Rollins collected 15 blocked shots. Transfer Christina D'Alessandro will add depth to the defensive unit. She comes to William Smith after playing her rookie season at Plymouth State. D'Alessandro saw action in 25 games, recording a goal and an assist for the Panthers.
 
Goalie
 
All three goalies that saw playing time last season are back for their junior seasons. Maggie Salmon logged 784:15 minutes in 14 starts. She compiled a 5-6-2 record while posting a 2.91 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. Salmon made a season-high 53 saves in an overtime loss against Oswego. Laurel Brown played 613:30 between the pipes for the Herons, posting a 3-7-0 record. After notching a pair of wins against Division I Sacred Heart, Brown was named the ECAC Women's West Goalie of the Week and earned a spot on the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week. Her first collegiate win came over Buffalo State. Brown made 377 saves on the season. Emily Spencer saw action in three games last year and compiled 66 saves.
 
Schedule:
 
After opening the season in Newport, William Smith will return to the Cooler to play its home and ECAC West opener against three-time defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Plattsburgh. The Herons will then play a home-and-home against Utica, which is ranked 10th in the USCHO preseason poll.  William Smith will close out 2016 with a pair of non-conference games. On Dec. 3, the Herons will play at UMass Boston, the 10th ranked team in the D3hockey.com preseason poll. The Beacons won inaugural New England Hockey Conference Championship last season and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. The next day William Smith will travel to Beverly, Mass., to face Endicott, the preseason favorite to win the Colonial Hockey Conference. The Gulls are in their second season as a varsity program. January will see the Herons ring in the New Year against Connecticut College on Jan. 1-2. William Smith will take on preseason No. 3 Elmira Jan. 20-21.