Five WCHA Players Named to 2006 Kazmaier Top 10
Feb. 24, 2006
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Madison, Wis. - Five players from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) have been named among the top 10 candidates for the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Award as announced by USA Hockey. The Patty Kazmaier Award honors the most outstanding player in women's collegiate varsity ice hockey each season. This year's awards presentation will be held Saturday, March 25 in conjuction with the 2006 NCAA Women's Frozen Four, hosted by the University of Minnesota.
Players named to the top 10 from the WCHA include Wisconsin's Sara Bauer (Jr., F, St. Catharines, Ontario) and Bobbi-Jo Slusar (Jr., D, Swift Current, Saskatchewan), Minnesota Duluth's Noemie Marin (Jr., F, St. Myacinthe, Quebec) and Riitta Schaublin (Jr., G, Basel, Switzerland) and Ohio State's Jana Harrigan (Sr., F, Burlington, Ontario). All five players are making their first career appearance as a candidate.
Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth are two of the three schools that boast two candidates. St. Lawrence is the other school that has two players on the list.
Last year, the WCHA had its first Kazmaier Award winner as Minnesota's Krissy Wendell was named the nation's top female player following her junior year.
The Division I women's varsity hockey coaches nominate up to two players from their team for the award. The USA Hockey Foundation prepares the official ballot and the top 10 is tabulated, based on the coaches votes. The official ballots were tabulated by the nationally respected accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Three finalists, as well as the recipient of the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media and a representative of USA Hockey, the National Governing Body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. Candidates for the award must compete for a women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey team at an NCAA-member institution. Other selection criteria include: outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration will also be given to academic achievement and civic involvement. The three finalists for the award will be announced March 13.
The awards dinner is scheduled for Saturday, March 25 at the Radisson University on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Individual dinner tickets are priced at $100.00 for adults and $50.00 for children under 18. Tickets, in addition to incremental levels of dinner sponsorship, may be purchased by calling The USA Hockey Foundation at (800) 566-3288, ext. 184, or visiting www.PattyKaz.com. Individual tickets and sponsorship packages are tax-deductible.
The 2006 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 Candidates
| Name | Year | Pos. | School |
| Sara Bauer | Jr. | F | Wisconsin |
| Sabrina Harbec | So. | F | St. Lawrence |
| Jana Harrigan | Sr. | F | Ohio State |
| Nicole Hekle | Jr. | F | New Hampshire |
| Noemie Marin | Jr. | F | Minnesota Duluth |
| Jessica Moffat | Sr. | G | St. Lawrence |
| Kim Pearce | Jr. | F | Princeton |
| Riitta Schaublin | Jr. | G | Minnesota Duluth |
| Bobbi-Jo Slusar | Jr. | D | Wisconsin |
| Karen Thatcher | Sr. | F | Providence |
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