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Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-3 Finalists Announced

03/05/2015, 10:00am MST
By USAHockey.com

Hannah Brandt, Alex Carpenter and Marie-Philip Poulin have been named top-three finalists

Junior forward Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn./University of Minnesota); junior forward Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass./Boston College) and senior forward Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Boston University) have been named top-three finalists for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, it was announced today by USA Hockey.

Hannah Brandt

Forward • Vadnais Heights, Minn.
University of Minnesota • Junior

Hannah Brandt was second in the nation in both points (67) and goals (31), third in assists (36), and led the country in in plus/minus (+65), heading into the NCAA tournament ... This season, she became only the seventh Gopher and 25th NCAA player to ever surpass 200 career points ... During conference play, the three-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, led all WCHA skaters in points (50), goals (21), assists (29), points per game (1.85) and faceoff percentage (.657) ... Helped lead the Gophers to a WCHA-best, 22-2-4 record ... Off the ice, has been involved with Hope Kids, the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, Windom Area Youth Hockey and Special Olympics Minnesota ... Also volunteers her time to Gophers Strike Out Cancer, Feed My Starving Children, the Maplewood Care Center, as well as various local youth hockey associations.

Alex Carpenter

Forward • North Reading, Mass.
Boston College • Junior

Was leading the nation in almost every offensive category entering the NCAA tournament and had done so for almost the entirety of the season ... Is looking to become the first player from Boston College to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award ... Coming into the NCAA tournament, led the nation in points (75), goals (33) assists (42) and points per game (2.27) ... Eight of her 33 goals were game winners, which co-led the nation in that category, as well as contributed to her team’s NCAA-best 32-1-2 regular-season record ... Also won 466 of 680 draws to give her a nation-leading .685 faceoff percentage ... In conference play, led all players in points (41) and assists (21) ... Also set career highs and broke program records, including surpassing her own record for most single-season points (70) in Boston College history ... Away from the rink, has volunteered with Team IMPACT and Athletes Unlimited Newton.

Marie-Philip Poulin

Forward • Beauceville, Que.
Boston University • Senior

Is vying to become Boston University’s first Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient ... Heading into the NCAA tournament, ranked among the top 10 nationally in points, goals, assists, points per game and faceoff percentage ... The Boston University captain ranked seventh nationally in points (47), points per game (1.62) and faceoff percentage (0.625) ... Also ranked eighth in goals (22) and ninth in assists (25) ... In conference play, she finished within the top 10 in points (26), points per game (1.53), goals (11), assists (15), faceoff percentage (.644) and game-winning goals (three) ... Off the ice,  was part of Boston University Athletics’ annual holiday reading program and participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Boston, as well as helped fundraise as part of the Hockey East Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative.


The 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented at a brunch ceremony at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sat., March 21, as part of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four weekend hosted by the University of Minnesota. The award, which is in its 18th year, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

The selection process commenced in early February when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top-10 finalists.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2015 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 a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

Tickets to the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony and Brunch can be purchased here. Individual seats to the event are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is supported, in part, by a grant from the NHL Foundation. For more information about Patty Kazmaier and the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, please visit PattyKaz.com.

About the Patty Kazmaier 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.

Past Recipients

Year Name School Position Hometown
2014 Jamie Lee Rattray Clarkson University Forward Kanata, Ont.
2013 Amanda Kessel University of Minnesota Forward Madison, Wis.
2012 Brianna Decker University of Wisconsin Forward Dousman, Wis.
2011 Meghan Duggan University of Wisconsin Forward Danvers, Mass.
2010 Vicki Bendus Mercyhurst College Forward Wasaga Beach, Ont.
2009 Jessie Vetter University of Wisconsin Goaltender Cottage Grove, Wis.
2008 Sarah Vaillancourt Harvard University  Forward  Sherbrooke, Que. 
2007 Julie Chu Harvard University Forward Fairfield, Conn.
2006 Sara Bauer University of Wisconsin Forward St. Catharines, Ont.
2005 Krissy Wendell University of Minnesota Forward Brooklyn Park, Minn.
2004 Angela Ruggiero Harvard University Defenseman Harper Woods, Mich.
2003 Jennifer Botterill Harvard University Forward Winnipeg, Man.
2002 Brooke Whitney Northeastern University Forward Snohomish, Wash.
2001 Jennifer Botterill Harvard University Forward Winnipeg, Man.
2000 Ali Brewer Brown University Goaltender Racine, Wis.
1999 A.J. Mleczko Harvard University Forward Nantucket, Mass.
1998 Brandy Fisher University of New Hampshire Forward Potsdam, N.Y.

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