Patty Kazmaier Award

The presentation of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which honors the top player in the NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, will take place Saturday, March 22, on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The ceremony, which is open to the public and is free to attend, will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. CT and will be televised live on NHL Network. A free autograph signing with women’s hockey legends will be held immediately following the ceremony.

Already highly skilled, the room for improvement for Harvey is in the details. Though the scoring numbers pull the attention, she’s an outstanding defender who is so involved on offense because she has the speed and skill to keep with her opponent if they take off in the other direction. She’s strong on her stick, great at angling defenders away from the middle of the ice and able to read plays as they develop, often picking off passes and starting off in transition before more than a couple of seconds have ticked by. 

Mark Johnson, Wisconsin’s head coach, has told his team he wants them to be more deliberate on getting pucks to the goal frame. Therefore, Harvey has been focusing on her shot — not just her accuracy, but also in discerning when to unleash it. Harvey has seen her shot percentage more than double from last season as a result. 

As she’s gotten more experience, Harvey has been able to feel the game slow down, particularly on offense, she said. She has long had the vision to see lanes to the net or open teammates. Now, she’s also gauging how much time she has and reading not just whether she has a clear shot from the point, but whether there are teammates in front of the net to screen the goalie, redirect the puck or be available for rebounds.

“It’s about making even more heads up or quicker plays with blue line offense and on the breakout, as well,” Harvey said. “I’m being a little pickier about when I’m shooting. Sometimes that might not be the right play. Instead of shooting it when no one is in front, I’ll look for someone who's moving into open space. I just have to be a little more patient and hold on to it and wait for them to get open. I definitely feel like I've been more selective. It’s a calmness on the ice and not having to rush every play.”

As she’s learning those lessons, she’s also figuring out how to share those lessons with her teammates. Harvey serves as one of Wisconsin’s alternate captains and she has learned to be more vocal when her tendency in the past had been to lead by example — though teammate Laila Edwards said Harvey does that, too. 

“I've seen her step up in every way she can this year,” Edwards said. “She's the hardest worker on the ice every time. She doesn't take a shift off, or rep off in practice. She is incredible to be around, and you can always learn something from her.”

Harvey said one of the things she has discovered this year is that there is something for her to learn from everyone she plays with and against. 

“I came into college trying to learn from the older players,” she said. “But what I've learned is that you can always learn something new every day and then improve your craft. I try to never be complacent and constantly learn from everyone, whether it's a rookie or it's someone who's been there before.

“Even if you have more experience than someone, you still don't have all the answers. That has really enabled me to get out of my comfort zone and develop more and make my game more well-rounded and try new things and push myself. I’m just constantly growing and wanting to be the best version of myself. I'm always trying to be a sponge. I don't want to continue to do the same things. I want to try new things and elevate my game.”

Harvey added that being an associate captain was intimidating at first andpushed her out of her comfort zone. However, Harvey also remembered how important support from coaches and leadership on previous teams have been in growing her confidence, making her comfortable and allowing her to play loose and free. 

Now, Harvey understands that working through her own difficulties helps her recognize when teammates are going through something similar. Confidence in herself and her game have been hard-won, and she wants to make sure her teammates get the same support. 

“I've been working at knowing when to speak and when to let there be silence,” Harvey said. “We all count on each other and look to each other to navigate challenges that we may face. I'm grateful to be in this position and be able to help in any way I can. I'm very fortunate to be a part of this group, and I'm very confident in what we're going to do this remainder of the season.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.