The Gophers women’s hockey team announced Monday that senior Bethany Brausen will reprise her role as team captain this season.

Seniors Sarah Davis, Baylee Gillanders and Kelly Terry will sport the “A” as alternates for the Gophers.

“It just felt like, with Brausen’s experience last year having the ‘C’, it made sense to keep her as our captain and kind of [have] those other three really support her in that role,” head coach Brad Frost told the Minnesota Daily on Monday.

Frost said Terry, Gillanders and Davis got votes from the team and coaching staff, and he seconded the decision.

“To me, that said that they all have leadership qualities that our team would like,” he said.

Davis leads more by example on the ice and keeps the team loose, Frost said. Terry is the hardest worker on the team and the fittest, he said, and Gillanders is “somebody that everybody can talk to.”

Brausen, who was captain last season alongside recently graduated Megan Bozek, is a combination of all three alternates, Frost said.

Minnesota, which has won the past two NCAA championships, lost six players to graduation this year. The nation’s top scorer last season, Amanda Kessel, will play for the U.S. Women’s National Team this season. She will be joined by defender Lee Stecklein.

The Gophers will have seven freshmen this season to help offset their losses.

“It’s going to be critical for … our captains to really come alongside our young kids,” Frost said. “But it’s also up to the rest of the team … to really show our freshmen the culture and what we’re about and how we do things.”

The Gophers have started captains’ practices and will kick off their regular season Oct. 4.