For the first time in her three-year career University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey goaltender Riitta Schaublin has earned a spot on the Women’s Division I RBK All-America First Team.

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Women’s Division I RBK All-Americans

Schaublin, a junior from Basel, Switzerland, is one of four juniors and two sophomores to get on to the first team. The 2006 Patty Kazmaier Top-3 Finalist, is joined on the first team by fellow Western Collegiate Hockey Association players Sara Bauer, Bobbi Jo Slusar from the University of Wisconsin and the remaining Patty Kazmaier Finalist Sabrina Harbec from St. Lawrence University.

In 2005-06, she earned her second straight 20-win season while posting the nation's second-best save percentage (.941). Her efforts have already led to her garnering a spot on the All-WCHA First Team, recognition as the WCHA Student Athlete of the Year and a USCHO.com First Team pick.

The Basel, Switzerland native, will complete her undergraduate degree in mathematics at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year and will enroll in the match graduate program at UMD next fall.

A team co-captain, Schaublin set the Bulldog career records for goaltender wins on Dec. 3, 2005 against Minnesota State University, Mankato with her 45th career victory (she now has 5). She also has been credited with a school-record 2,039 saves as a Bulldog, currently good for the 12th place on the NCAA all-time charts.

UMD finished the 2005-2006 season with a 22-9-3 record and tied for second place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with an 18-7-3 mark. Schaublin, Bauer and Harbec will find out tonight which one will walk away with the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Award, as the best player in women’s college hockey.

Notes: All 12 members of the first and second teams are first-time honorees…there are a total of four representatives from the WCHA, three on the first team…of the 12 there are only two seniors.