ERIE, Pa. – Mercyhurst College women's hockey head coach Michael Sisti announced Thursday that seniors Pamela Zgoda, Kelley Steadman, Bailey Bram and Jess Jones have been selected as captains for the 2011-12 season. Zgoda will serve as team captain while Steadman, Bram and Jones will act as assistants.

“We are excited to face the challenges of next season and expect great leadership from our captains,” said Sisti. “We expect all of our players to contribute to the team's success and leadership, but our four captains will be relied upon to make sure the team maintains their focus, confidence, and passion.”

Zgoda, a defenseman from Cheektowaga, N.Y., broke out in her third season with the Lakers last season. A First Team All-College Hockey America selection, she scored four goals and assisted on 18 others for a career-high 22 points. One of those scores proved to be the game-winner, against Wayne State, while two others helped the team down Robert Morris by a 7-1 count.

Steadman, a forward from Plattsburgh, N.Y., also had a breakout season in 2010-11. Helping the Lakers to a 29-6-0 record, she set career-highs in both goals (17) and points (29) and ranked sixth on the team in scoring. Her play not only helped the Lakers win the 2011 CHA Championship and qualify for their seventh straight NCAA Tournament, but it also earned her a spot on the United States National Team for the IIHF Women's World Championship, where she captured gold with the Americans.

Bram, a forward from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, placed fourth in scoring with 15 goals and 42 points through 28 games last season. She opened the year on a 10-game pointstreak highlighted by a two-goal outing at Bemidji State and her first hat trick of the season in a 4-3 overtime victory at then-No. 2 Cornell. Later in the year she accumulated a career-high six points on two goals and four assists against Brown (W, 12-1).

Jones, a forward from Picton, Ontario, bounced back from summer knee surgery to play in 29 games and score 12 goals and total 26 points. Five of those points came in one game, as she scored two goals and dished out three assists in a 7-1 victory over Wayne State. A few games later, she dished out two assists against perennial power St. Lawrence (W, 7-3) and scored in a 7-4 setback to then-No. 1 Wisconsin.