Nov. 25, 2009

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin women’s hockey team and interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser announced Wednesday, the signing of four student-athletes to national letters of intent. Goaltender Alex Rigsby, defenseman Kelly Jaminski and forwards Madison Packer and Brittany Ammerman will attend the UW in the fall of 2010.
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Brittany Ammerman, a 5-6 forward out of River Vale, N.J., will join her older sister Brooke, a current sophomore standout for the Badgers. Brittany is currently a senior at the North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) in Stowe, Vt. The senior captains the squad and is the current leading scorer for the NAHA White with 12 goals and 10 assists through 23 games. Most notably, she was a member of the 2009 U18 World Champion Team USA, which competed in Fussen, Germany. She scored the first goal in the gold medal game, leading her team to victory over Canada. From 2008-09, she was a member of the U-18 USA Select team that competed in a three-game series against Canada in Lake Placid (2008) and Calgary (2009).

As a junior, Ammerman was the leading scorer on the NAHA for the 2008-09 season, as well as an assistant captain. During her sophomore year, she was the youngest player on the team, ranking fifth on the team in points. This was also the first year she and her sister Brooke played together. Her team won the Junior Women’s Hockey League during her sophomore and junior years of high school. In Ammerman’s freshman year, she played on the U16 New Jersey Colonials team, where she was the leading scorer and, again, the youngest player on the team. 

Ammerman is a four-time National Camp attendee. She made the all-star team and scored two goals at the 2009 edition of the camp. She was the leading scorer at the National Camp in 2008.

DeKeyser on Ammerman

"Brittany is a dynamic forward that brings great energy to the game and to those around her on the ice. Brittany should add another dimension to our offensive corps next season with her speed and playmaking ability."

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Alex Rigsby, a 5-7 goaltender from Delafield, Wis., joins the Badgers with an impressive resume. A member of the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals AAA Boys Midget Majors for the past three years, Rigsby was a member of the U18 Women’s National Team. She led the team to gold at the 2009 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships where she won the Top Goaltender award after stopping 38 shots in the 3-2 gold-medal win over Canada and collecting a .947 save percentage and a 1.28 goals-against average. As a member of the national team, she also participated in the 2008 and 2009 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, as well as the 2008 and 2009 USA U18 Women’s three-game series against Team Canada. Rigsby participated in the USA Hockey National Development Camps from 2006-09 and the 2009 Warren Strelow National Goaltending Camp.

In May 2009 she was drafted by the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), becoming the first female ever drafted into the league. The USHL is one of the top Tier I junior leagues in North America. Its teams identify and select top teenage prospects from the U.S. and Canada, then set them on a developmental course for NCAA Division I programs and, in some cases, the NHL.

DeKeyser on Rigsby

"Playing for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals in such a competitive hockey league, Alex should be well prepared for the college ranks next season. She is a gifted goaltender and we expect great things for Alex during her career at Wisconsin."

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Kelly Jaminski, a 6-foot defender from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., will join the squad as one of two players from the Girls Under-19 AAA Little Caesars Hockey Team. Jaminski will spend the final duration of her senior year at Grosse Pointe North High School (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and will serve as assistant captain of the Little Caesars team, alongside fellow Wisconsin signee Madison Packer.

Like Ammerman, Jaminski also attended the National Development Camp from 2006-2009. Before moving to Michigan to pursue her hockey career in 2007, Jaminski competed on the Boys Central WI AAA Hockey Team, Wisconsin Rapids Boys AAA Bantam Hockey team (where she was co-captain) and the Girls U-19 Madison Capitals AAA Hockey team.

DeKeyser on Jaminski

"We are excited to have yet another Wisconsinite join the Badger squad in Kelly Jaminski. Kelly has played the last two seasons with the Little Caesars organization alongside fellow incoming freshman Madison Packer. We expect Kelly to be a physical presence on the blue-line, while contributing offensively as well."

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Madison Packer is a 5-9 forward out of Birmingham, Mich., who brings a lot of experience to Wisconsin. In her final season with the Little Caesars U19 girls’ team (Mich.), Packer is the team captain with Jaminski, who serves as an assistant captain.

Packer was part of the first U.S. Women’s National Under-18 squad that won a gold medal in Calgary in 2008, tying for 11th in tournament scoring with nine points (5-4). She attended four USA Hockey Player Development Camps from 2005-08 and was a selection for the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival in Lake Placid, N.Y. Packer went on to help the U.S. pick up two wins in a three-game series against Canada in 2008. During the three-game series Packer notched a goal under head coach Mark Johnson while also skating with current Badgers Alev Kelter and Brianna Decker. UW signees Ammerman and Rigsby were both on the team as well. That same team went on to win gold in her second IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship. Serving as an alternate captain, she tallied 11 points in five games (6-5).

DeKeyser on Packer

"Madison has proven to be a powerful offensive threat, with notable puckhandling skills and a great vision for the game. She is a hard-working hockey player who should make a significant impact at the college level."