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Three Finalists Announced for 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

03/18/2021, 9:59am MDT
By USA Hockey

Winner To Be Unveiled Live On NHL Network March 27

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Hockey Foundation announced today that Aerin Frankel (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Northeastern University), Daryl Watts (Toronto, Ontario/University of Wisconsin) and Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn./University of Minnesota) have been named as the top-three finalists for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

For more information about each finalist, click here.

Aerin Frankel • Senior • Goaltender • Northeastern University

Leads the nation in goals against average (0.71), save percentage (.969) and shutouts (9) … Ranks first in the NCAA in goalie winning percentage (.929) … Led the HEA in goals against average (0.65), save percentage (.971), goalie winning percentage (.912) … NCAA Goaltender of the Month (Jan.) … Hockey East Player of the Year and Hockey East Goaltender of the Year … Two-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 1, Feb. 22) … Four-time Hockey East Player of the Week (Jan. 5, Feb. 8, March 1, March 8) … Two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Month (Jan., Feb.) … Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association National Goaltender of the Month (Jan.) … Volunteered with Westchester Vipers and the IronBound Girls Youth Hockey Association.

DARYL WATTS • SENIOR • FORWARD • UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

Ranks first in the nation in points per game (1.79) and goals per game (0.89) … Tied for first in the NCAA in goals (17) … Ranks second nationally in points (34) … Tied for second in the NCAA and for first in the WCHA in game-winning goals (4) … … Ranks fifth in the NCAA in assists (17) and assists per game (0.89) … Led the WCHA in points (31), points per game (1.94), goals per game (0.94), assists (16) and assists per game (1.00) … Ranked second in the WCHA in goals (15) …Tied for second in the WCHA in power-play points (4) … Tied for eighth in the WCHA in power-play goals (1) … Named WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Offensive Player of the Year … 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 … 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.

GRACE ZUMWINKLE • SENIOR • FORWARD • UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Tied for first in the NCAA in goals (17) …  Ranks second in the nation in goals per game (0.85) … Tied for second nationally and for first in the WCHA in game-winning goals (4) … Ranks eighth in the nation in points (24) … Tied for 13th in the NCAA in points per game (1.20) … Led the WCHA in goals (16) … Ranked second in the WCHA in points (23) and goals per game (0.84) … Tied for second in the WCHA in power play goals (2) … Ranked fifth in the WCHA in points per game (1.21) … Tied for sixth in the WCHA in power-play points (3) … Tied for 14th in the WCHA in assists (7) … Two-time WCHA Forward of the Month (Nov., Feb.) … Two-time WCHA Forward of the Week (Nov. 24, Feb. 19) … Volunteered with Feed My Starving Children, Special Olympics Minnesota and the St. Hubert Catholic Church … Participated in the 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.

More on Frankel

More on Watts

More on Zumwinkle


AND THE WINNER IS ....

The 24th winner of the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be revealed on Saturday, March 27, as part of a special broadcast on NHL Network. Jackie Redmond will serve as host and all 10 award finalists will be featured.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process commenced late February 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 sent back to the coaches to vote for the top-10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, were then 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 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.


2021 TOP-10 FINALISTS

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

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