Women's hockey adds four to 2012-13 campaign
December 07, 2011 | Women's Hockey
Dec. 7, 2011
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Courtney Burke (Albany, N.Y.), Molly Doner (Mukilteo, Wash.), Kim Drake (Mosinee, Wis.) and Kaitlyn Harding (Anchorage, Alaska) will attend the University of Wisconsin and play hockey for the Badgers beginning in the 2012-13 season.
"The overall quality of the group is really good, we're excited for them to get a chance to come in and work with us," Johnson said.
Courtney Burke
A 5-9 defenseman from Albany, N.Y., Burke joins the Badgers after playing with the Shattuck-St. Mary's girls' prep team. She is currently in her third season with Shattuck-St. Mary's and in 20 games played this season, she has tallied 34 points off of 12 goals and 22 assists. Since her sophomore year campaign in 2009-10, Burke has played in 114 games with Shattuck-St. Mary's, recording 57 goals and 120 assists. In 2010-11, Burked helped her team claim the U-19 National Championship. In her time at Shattuck-St. Mary's, Burke has played with current Badger freshman Blayre Turnbull and incoming freshman Kim Drake.
Burke was recently named to the USA Women's U-18 team that will compete at the 2012 World Women's U-18 Championship in Perov and Zlin, Czech Republic on Dec. 31, 2011 - Jan. 7, 2012. This will be her third Women's U-18 Championship with Team USA after winning gold in 2011 and Silver in 2010. She has also played with Team USA in the U-18 Series against Canada in 2011 and 2010.
Johnson on Burke:
"Courtney has a skilled presence and will be able to step right in make a contribution to our hockey team. [Associate head coach] Dan Koch had an opportunity to coach her and we've been watching her for a long time. We're just thrilled that's she going to be part of our family and look forward to her developing."
Molly Doner
Hailing from Mukilteo, Wash., Doner is a 5-5 forward and has spent the 2011-12 season playing with the North American Hockey Academy in Jay, Vt. In 16 games this season, she has scored 16 goals and recorded nine assists. Before attending the North American Hockey Academy, Doner played two seasons with the San Jose Jr. Sharks U-19 girls' team. With the Jr. Sharks in 2010-11, she was named MVP of the Pacific District Tournament en route to the district championship. Doner has also skated at Team USA U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 select camps.
Her father, Lexi Doner, played men's hockey at Wisconsin from 1980-84 and won two NCAA titles in his four years with the Badgers. With the signing, Lexi and Molly become the first father-daughter duo to play hockey for Wisconsin.
Johnson on Doner:
"Molly is great skill player, she skates well and handles the puck well. She made a big step this year to leave home and play at the North American Hockey Academy where she'll probably play 80-85 games with that program. By doing that she's going to get better over the course of the winter. She'll come in next year and I'm sure she'll do very well."
Kim Drake
A 5-10 forward, Drake is the lone Wisconsinite in this year's signing class. The Mosinee, Wis., native has spent the last three seasons with Shattuck-St. Mary's where she has played alongside incoming freshman Courtney Burke and current Badger freshman Blayre Turnbull. This season, Drake has scored six goals and assisted on 12 others in 22 games played. She scored 18 goals and tallied 20 assists en route to the U-19 National Championship with Shattuck-St. Mary's in 2011. Drake has also skated at USA National Development Camps in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Johnson on Drake:
"Kim, Courtney [Burke] and Blayre [Turnbull] have played together on past teams and so I think they're going to be more comfortable, compared to other freshmen without that. Kim has the capability to be a really good hockey player. She has good size, great skill and hopefully over the course of her time here she can elevate her game to that next level."
Kaitlyn Harding
Harding is a 5-7 forward out of Anchorage, Alaska. She joins the Badgers after spending three seasons with the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. She has been the team's captain for the past two seasons and currently has seven goals and three assists in 19 games played this year.
Before attending Pursuit of Excellence in 2009-10, Harding played with Robert Service High School girls' team in Anchorage. In her freshman year, she helped the Cougars to an Alaska state title while setting school and state records for scoring with 47 goals and 28 assists. The same year, she played for Team Alaska where she led the team in scoring with 28 goals and 32 assists. She also played for Team Alaska her sophomore season (2009-10) where she scored 22 goals and recorded 36 assists. Harding has also skated at four USA National Development Camps (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).
Johnson on Harding:
"Kaitlyn is a hard working individual that wants to improve all facets of her game. She's a great student and has a great skill set. I think she will be a great addition to our program. When she comes in next season, she'll continue to get better and better. The environment she's in right now helps her continue to make improvements, because she's on the ice quite a bit. We're real excited that she chose to be a part of our group too."
