February 21, 2011

BC's Kelli Stack and BU's Jenn Wakefield are among the nominees for the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- USA Hockey announced on Monday that five Hockey East student-athletes were among the list of 26 nominees for the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

Held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four, the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by LECOM, will be given out at a brunch ceremony on March 19 at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pa.

The regular-season champion Boston University Terriers led the way with three nominees on the initial list of 26, which included; freshman forward Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que.), junior forward Jenn Wakefield (Pickering, Ont.) and senior defenseman Catherine Ward (Montreal, Que.). Poulin's 1.83 points per game leads the nation among rookies and her total is seventh best in the country, while Wakefield's 1.63 points per game is 11th best in the country. Ward's 0.91 points per game is fifth best nationally among blueliners.

Boston College was represented by senior goaltender Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) and senior forward Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio). Schaus' 1.42 GAA is third best among the NCAA leaders, while Stack's 1.66 points per game ranks 10th in the nation among Division I players.

The award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman for 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 on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28, following a long struggle with a rare blood disease

The list of 26 nominated players includes 17 forwards, five goaltenders and four defensemen hailing from 12 different schools in all four NCAA Division I women's ice hockey leagues. Mercyhurst College, host of the 2011 NCAA Women's Frozen Four, leads all schools with five nominated players.

The 34 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey head coaches will select the top-10 finalists from among the group of 26 nominees, with the announcement taking place March 3. A 13-member selection committee will choose the three finalists (announced March 10), as well as the award recipient, which will be announced live at the brunch ceremony in Erie on March 19.

Tickets to the 14th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony, presented by LECOM, may be purchased by calling 719-538-1184 or by submitting a completed ticket form (located at PattyKaz.com). Individual seats are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600.