WCHA Women Student-Athletes Earn National Weekly Honors

Honored this week are Kelly Stephens, a freshman forward, from the University of Minnesota and Patricia Sautterm, a junior goaltender from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

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Nov. 7, 2001

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The first USCHO.com Women's Division I Players of the Week were announced today. Honored this week are Kelly Stephens, a freshman forward, from the University of Minnesota as the Offensive Player of the Week and Patricia Sautter, a junior goaltender from the University of Minnesota-Duluth as the Defensive Player of the Week.

USCHO.com Women's Division I Offensive Player of the Week
For the week ending November 5, 2001

Kelly Stephens
Freshman, Forward, University of Minnesota

Led by freshman forward Kelly Stephens (Seattle, Wash.), No. 6 Minnesota edged Ohio State 2-1 and 3-2 in a pair of key early season WCHA matchups. Minnesota took over first place in the tight league race with the sweep. Friday night, Kelly's second period breakaway goal knotted the score at 1-1 and set the stage for the Golden Gophers' third period winner. The next night, with the Gophers again behind by one in the second, she tied the game with a power play goal. The teams went into the final minute still deadlocked when Kelly's goal with 21 seconds to play gave Minnesota the win. Kelly leads the 5-2-1 Gophers in scoring with seven points, including six goals.

USCHO.com Women's Division I Defensive Player of the Week
For the week ending November 5, 2001

Patricia Sautter
Junior, Goaltender, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Backstopped by rookie goaltender Patricia Sautter (Schaffhausen, Switzerland), No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth swept a close weekend series, 1-0 and 2-1 (OT), with league rival No. 5 Wisconsin. The wins earned UMD another week atop the USCHO Division I poll. Filling in for starting goaltender Tuula Puputti, who was with Finland at the Three Nations Cup, Patricia posted her first collegiate shutout on Friday, making 17 saves to blank the Badgers, 1-0. The following evening, the Badgers came out flying, outshooting UMD almost 3 to 1, but Patricia was up to the task, turning away 33 shots and only allowing one goal. Patricia, a junior who joined the Bulldogs from the Swiss National Team, leads the WCHA in goaltending with a .970 save percentage and 0.63 goals against average.

The USCHO.com Women's Players of the Week are chosen by the USCHO staff after consideration of all games played the week before. The Women's Players of the Week are chosen once a week and are in its second year of being awarded.