March 18, 2010

Left to Right: Kelly Paton, Florence Schelling and Courtney Birchard

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Eight players competing for an NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Championship in Minneapolis, MN, this weekend have been honored as RBK HOCKEY ALL-AMERICANS for 2009-10, it was announced today by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Included among the 12 honorees are representatives of all four Frozen Four squads participating at the University of Minnesota's Ridder Arena: Cornell University, Mercyhurst College, the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Noteworthy among the selections:

• Only two players come from the United States: Minnesota sophomore defenseman Anne Schleper and St. Cloud senior forward Felicia Nelson.

• Eight come from Canada; one each from Finland and Switzerland (both are goalies).

• There are no repeat selections. (A number of last year's underclass selections participated in the Olympic games.)

• There were three players chosen from each class (SR, JR, SO, FR).

• Cornell led the way with three honorees; Mercyhurst, Minnesota, and New Hampshire claim two each.

• Four selections came from the WCHA, three each from the ECAC and Hockey East, and two from the CHA.

The RBK ALL-AMERICAN ICE HOCKEY TEAMS are sponsored by RBK HOCKEY, an international leader in hockey equipment, and chosen by members of the AMERICAN HOCKEY COACHES ASSOCIATION.