Putting the official wraps on its impressive 2016-17 season, the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team announced its team awards and next season's captains at its annual banquet Thursday night.

Arguably the most self-explanatory award of the evening, senior forward Lara Stalder was named the Bulldogs Most Valuable Player after leading UMD with 56 points on 23 goals and 33 assists in 35 games.   The Luzern, Switzerland native was both a First Team CCM All-American and First Team USCHO All-American, as well as a top-3 Patty Kazmier Finalist this spring.  Stalder -- named the 2016-17 WCHA Player of the Year and Student Athlete of the Year -- also ranked fourth in assists per game (0.94) and fourth in goals per game (0.66) in the NCAA.  She had 17 multiple point games for the Bulldogs, including seven outings with three or more points, and in 15 games against top-10 opponents, Stalder had eight goals and 12 assists for 19 points.

Senior forward and captain Ashleigh Brykaliuk was awarded the Maroon and Gold Award, voted on by the team.  The award honors the player who the team thinks best combines the team values of work ethic, attitude and commitment to the team and to the game of hockey.  On the ice, the Brandon, Manitoba product ranked second in points for UMD with 45 (17g, 28a) in 37 skates.  For her efforts she collected her second All-WCHA Second Team honor after earning the award last season.  In addition to posting back-to-back 40-plus point seasons, Brykaliuk recorded the second-longest scoring streak in UMD history -- a 19-game, 26 point run that lasted from Oct. 29 through Feb. 11 this season.

Sophomore goaltender Maddie Rooney was chosen UMD's Breakthrough Player of the Year by the coaching staff, presented annually to the student-athlete who made the most progress in her development as an athlete in a given year.  The Andover, Minn. prodigy blossomed in her second year between the pipes for the Bulldogs, playing the most minutes in the nation and registering 2250:38 minutes for an NCAA-best 98.6% of the Bulldogs goaltending workload.   Rooney finished fourth in the NCAA and second in the WCHA with a .942 saves percentage, and the 1013 saves she posted season ranked second in the nation, as well as second-most in a single season by a Bulldog netminder. An All-WCHA Third Team selection, Rooney earned a bevy of league honors over the regular season, including the  WCHA Defensive Player of the Month for November and March, in addition to four WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

After reflecting on the past season, the Bulldog program looked ahead and named soon to be sophomore forward Sydney Brodt the 2017-18 team captain.  Brodt, who hails from North Oaks, Minn., will be the youngest Bulldog player ever to wear the "C" in program history. UMD will have three assistant captains in addition to Brodt, rising seniors defensemen Catherine Daoust, Jessica Healey and Linnea Hedin.