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Ten Finalists Named for 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

02/25/2021, 9:29am MST
By USA Hockey

24th Annual Award to be Presented March 27

An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. The 24th Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner will be announced on March 27. More details will be available soon. 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The USA Hockey Foundation today revealed the 10 finalists for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The honor, which began in 1998, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

The finalists (in alphabetical order) include: senior defender Skylar Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I./Northeastern University), senior goaltender Aerin Frankel (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Northeastern University), senior forward Élizabeth Giguère (Québec City, Québec/Clarkson University), senior forward Caitrin Lonergan (Roslindale, Mass./Clarkson University), senior forward Emma Maltais (Burlington, Ont./Ohio State University), junior forward Alina Müller (Winterthur, Switzerland/Northeastern University), junior forward Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask./University of Wisconsin), senior forward Daryl Watts (Toronto, Ont./University of Wisconsin), freshman forward Kiara Zanon (Fairport, N.Y./Penn State University) and senior forward Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn./University of Minnesota).

Name Class Position School Hometown Conference
Skylar Fontaine Senior Defense Northeastern University East Greenwich, R.I. Hockey East
Aerin Frankel Senior Goaltender Northeastern University Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Hockey East
Élizabeth Giguère Senior Forward Clarkson University Québec City, Québec ECAC
Caitrin Lonergan Senior Forward Clarkson University Roslindale, Mass. ECAC
Emma Maltais Senior Forward Ohio State University Burlington, Ontario WCHA
Alina Müller Junior Forward Northeastern University Winterthur, Switzerland Hockey East
Sophie Shirley Junior Forward University of Wisconsin Saskatoon, Saskatchewan WCHA
Daryl Watts Senior Forward University of Wisconsin Toronto, Ontario WCHA
Kiara Zanon Freshman Forward Penn State University Fairport, N.Y. CHA
Grace Zumwinkle Senior Forward University of Minnesota Excelsior, Minn. WCHA

SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process commenced earlier this month when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by multiple coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was returned to the coaches to vote for the ten finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, an at-large member and representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The top-three finalists will be announced on Thursday, March 18.

The presentation of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is scheduled for Saturday, March 27. More details around the unveiling will be shared soon.

Notes:  Among the top-10 finalists are eight forwards, one defender and one goaltender, including seven seniors, two juniors, and one freshman … The WCHA has four finalists, the Hockey East Association is represented with three finalists, the ECAC boasts two finalists and the CHA claims one finalist.

ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.

ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.

Top 10 Finalists

Stats updated as of March 10, 2021

Skylar Fontaine

Defense - Senior - Northeastern University

Ranks first in power play goals in the nation and in the HEA (6) … Leads the HEA with a +25 rating … Tied for second overall in the HEA with 11 goals, 14 assists and 25 points … Tied for second in the HEA and for 21st in the NCAA in points per game (1.14) … Tied for second in the HEA and for 19th in the NCAA in goals per game (.500) … Ranks second in the HEA and 28th in the NCAA in assists per game (.640) … Ranks third in the HEA in shots on goal (86) … Tied for sixth in the NCAA and for fourth in the HEA in short-handed goals (1) … Tied for ninth in the NCAA and for fifth in the HEA in game-winning goals (3).

Aerin Frankel

Goaltender - Senior - Northeastern University

Leads the nation and HEA in goals against average (0.698), save percentage (.969) and shutouts (9) … Leads the HEA and ranks third in the NCAA in goalie winning percentage (.925) … NCAA Goaltender of the Month (Jan.) … Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 1)… Two-time Hockey East Player of the Week (Jan. 5, Feb. 8) … Hockey East Goaltender of the Month and Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association National Goaltender of the Month (Jan.) … Named to the WHCA Watch List … Volunteered with Westchester Vipers and the IronBound Girls Youth Hockey Association.

Élizabeth Giguère

Forward - Senior - Clarkson University

Ranks first overall in the ECAC with nine goals, 14 assists and 23 points … Tied for fourth in the ECAC and tied for 22nd in the NCAA in game-winning goals (2) … Tied for 14th in the NCAA in points per game (1.22) … Ranks 13th in the nation in goals per game (0.60) … Tied for 19th in the NCAA in assists per game (0.73) … Two-time ECAC Player of the Week (Jan. 18, Feb. 9) … Volunteered with the Little Knights Club.

Caitrin Lonergan

Forward - Senior - Clarkson University

Leads the ECAC and tied for first in the NCAA in short-handed goals (2) … Tied for third overall in the ECAC with 14 goals, six assists and 20 points … Tied for fourth in the NCAA and for fifth in the ECAC in power play goals (3) … Tied for fourth in the ECAC and for 22nd in the NCAA in game-winning goals (2) … Ranks fifth in the NCAA in goals per game (0.88) ... Ranks 11th in the NCAA in points per game (1.25) … ECAC Player of the Month (Jan. ) … ECAC Player of the Week (Feb. 1) … Volunteered with the Special Olympics at Harvard University, the Learn to Skate program in Hyde Park, Mass., and at local winter coat drives in Boston … Spends time at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Emma Maltais

Forward - Senior - Ohio University

Leads the WCHA and ranks 43rd in the NCAA in faceoff win percentage (.542) … Tied for first in the WCHA in shots on goal (108) … Ranks sixth in the WCHA and tied for 36th in the nation in assists per game (0.59) … Tied for 11th in the WCHA and for 49th in the NCAA in points per game (.880) ... Tied for 11th overall in the WCHA with five goals, 10 assists and 15 points … Garnered preseason All-WCHA honors … WCHA Forward of the Week (Feb. 2) ... Member of the Bucks Go Pro 1.0 program with OSU’s Neurological Institute.

Alina Müller

Forward - Junior - Northeastern University

Ranks first among all HEA forwards with 11 goals, 24 assists and 35 points … Ranks first in the HEA in shots on goal (108) ... Ranks fourth in the nation and first in the HEA in assists per game (1.09) … Ranks fifth in the NCAA and first in the HEA in points per game (1.59) … Tied for ninth in the HEA and for 22nd in the NCAA in game-winning goals (2 ) … Tied for 19th in the NCAA and for second in the HEA in goals per game (0.500) … Hockey East Player of the Month (Jan.) … Two-time Hockey East Player of the week (Jan. 18, Jan. 25) … Volunteered at Northeastern University’s Movement Neuroscience Lab.

Sophie Shirley

Forward - Junior - University of Wisconsin

Ranks third overall in the WCHA with 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points … Ranks third in the WCHA and ranks 10th in the nation in points per game (1.35) … Tied for third in the WCHA and 17th in the NCAA in assists per game (.760) ... Tied for fourth in the WCHA and for 12th in the NCAA in goals per game (0.590) … Garnered preseason All-WCHA honors … WCHA Forward of the Week (Dec. 1) … Volunteered with Wisconsin Shoe Project and Badgers Give Back … Assisted with an adaptive fitness class.

Daryl Watts

Forward - Senior - University of Wisconsin

Ranks first overall in the WCHA with 17 goals, 16 assists and 33 points … Leads the WCHA and ranks fourth in the NCAA in points per game (1.82) ... Tied for first in the WCHA and fourth in the NCAA in goals per game (.880) … Tied for first in the WCHA and for second in the NCAA in game-winning goals (4) ...  Ranks second in the WCHA and 12th in the nation in assists per game (.940) … Ranks fifth in the WCHA in shots on goal (64) ... Tied for eighth in the WCHA in power play goals (1) ... NCAA Player of the Month (Jan.) … Named Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association Player of the Month and WCHA Forward of the Month (Jan.) … Three-time WCHA Forward of the Week (Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 ) … WCHA Preseason Player of the Year and All-WCHA Player …  Volunteered with Pen Pal Field Trip Skating, Wisconsin Shoe Project, Badgers Give Back and local food bank drives …  Assisted her elderly neighbors by shoveling their driveways … Currently sponsors a child through Save the Children.

Kiara Zanon

Forward - Freshman - Penn State University

Ranks first in the CHA with 10 goals, 20 assists and 30 points … Leads the CHA and ranks ninth in the NCAA in points per game (1.42) … Tied for first in the CHA and tied for ninth in the nation in game-winning goals (3) ... Ranks second in the CHA and tied for fifth in the nation in assists per game (1.00) … Tied for fourth in the CHA and for 40th in the NCAA in goals per game (.420) ... Tied for sixth in the NCAA and for first in the CHA in short-handed goals (1)  … Ranks 40th in the NCAA in faceoff percentage (.554) … Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Month (Dec.) … Two-time CHA Rookie of the Month (Dec., Jan.) … Two-time CHA Rookie of the Week (Dec. 7, Feb. 1) … Volunteered with the Rochester Hockey Academy, Pets Come First and Cameron Community Ministries Food Pantry.

Grace Zumwinkle

Forward - Senior - University of Minnesota

Tied for first in the WCHA and for second nationally in game-winning goals (4) … Tied for first in the WCHA in shots on goal (108) … Tied for first in the WCHA and ranks sixth in the NCAA in goals per game (0.85) … Ranks second overall in the WCHA with 17 goals, seven assists and 24 points … Tied second in the WCHA and for 15th in the NCAA in power-play goals (2) … Ranks 17th in the NCAA and second among WCHA forwards in points per game (1.20) … Named WCHA Forward of the Month (Nov.) and WCHA Forward of the Week (Nov. 24) … Volunteered with Feed My Starving Children, Special Olympics Minnesota and the St. Hubert Catholic Church … Participated in Hope Kids’ Hope Day Festival and Skate with the Gophers … Spends time coaching youth hockey, and with other volunteer opportunities through Golden Gopher Fund and Gopher athletics.

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Junior forward Abbey Murphy taps the gloves of her teammates after scoring in her white and maroon Minnesota jersey.
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