Three University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey players earned Western Collegiate Hockey Association year-end awards Thursday, including sophomore forward Naomi Rogge and freshman center Gabbie Hughes, who each were named All-WCHA Third Team honorees.  Hughes, as well as freshman defenseman Maggie Flaherty, also were named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team.

Hughes, who has led the Bulldogs in scoring for almost the entire season, is on track to become just the third UMD freshman in program history to lead a Bulldog squad in scoring as a rookie.  Currently, the Lino Lakes, Minn. native has a team-high 33 points on 16 goals and 17 assists over 30 games, and a point per game average of 1.10 -- the best points per game average by a rookie in the WCHA and the third-highest among all WCHA scorers.  Hughes -- who has already recorded more points as a freshman than any other Bulldog rookie since the 2009-10 season -- also ranks fourth in the NCAA among rookies in points per game and fifth in assists per game (0.57 A/PG).  Hughes has picked up three weekly WCHA honors this season, twice as the WCHA Forward of the Week and once as the WCHA's Rookie of the Week -- she was also named the WCHA Rookie of the Month for January.  

Rogge has posted the second-most points -- 22 -- by a Bulldog so far this season, on 11 goals and 11 assists in 32 games.  The Eden Prairie, Minn. product was named the NCAA's First Star twice this season (Jan. 23 and Oct. 23), and earned the WCHA's Forward of the Week twice.  Rogge has posted multiple-point games on six occasions this season, including two, four-point performances that came against Ohio State on Jan. 18-19.   Rogge was also named a 2018-19 WCHA Scholar Athlete Wednesday for her academic efforts.

Hailing from Lakeville, Minn., Flaherty was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday for her four point, three-goal performance against Minnesota State, Mankato last weekend.  Flaherty leads all UMD blueliners this season with 16 points on four goals and 12 assists, and ranks seventh in the WCHA among all league defensemen, and third in goals scored by a blueliner.  Flaherty's three power play goals is tied for the most by a defenseman in the WCHA, and her 96 blocked shots is the second most in league.

The league also released its 2018-19 WCHA All-Academic Team honorees, which was composed of nine Bulldogs.  Those nine include Ashton Bell (So., F, Deloraine, Manitoba), Sydney Brodt (Jr., F, North Oaks, Minn.), Reagan Haley (Sr., F, Red Wing, Minn.), Ryleigh Houston (Jr., F, Winnipeg, Manitoba), Anna Klein (So., F, Edina, Minn.), McKenzie Revering (So., D, Alexandria, Minn.), Naomi Rogge (So., F, Eden Prairie, Minn.), Brooklynn Schugel (Jr., F, New Ulm, Minn), Emma Yanko (Sr., F, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).

To qualify for the WCHA All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at present institution, prior to the current academic year and have a GPA of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters.