University of Minnesota Duluth senior forwards Élizabeth Giguère and Gabbie Hughes have been chosen as top-10 finalists for the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the USA Hockey Foundation announced Thursday.  The honor, which began in 1998, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

 

The duo becomes the fifth pair of Bulldogs to land in the Patty Kazmaier top-10.  The last twosome was Riitta Schaublin and Noemie Marin in 2006, and before that, Caroline Ouellette and Jenny Potter were both selected to the top-10 in 2004. Potter and Maria Rooth shared the honor twice – they were selected as top-10 finalists in 2003 and 2000 -- the Bulldogs first season as a collegiate program.

 

While UMD has never had a Patty Kazmaier winner in program history, it does have a player who owns a trophy. Giguère won the award in 2020 as a junior at Clarkson University, and is one of just four players (including Bulldog great Rooth) ever to be named a top-10 finalist for four-consecutive years. In all, seven players all-time have been top-10 finalists on four occasions.

 

Giguère currently leads the Bulldogs with 55 points – the third most in the NCAA – on 20 goals and 35 assists through 35 games.  The Quebec City, Quebec native is averaging 1.57 points per game and average is the fourth-highest in the nation. With three game-winning goals, she also has a plus/minus rating of +32.  

 

Named to the 2021-22 All-WCHA Second Team, Giguère's 35 assists puts her in a tie for 10th for the most helpers in a single season at UMD. The fifth-year forward has 16 times put up two or more points in a game this season, including nine games where Giguère put up three or more points.

 

Giguère now has 287 career points -- which makes her the third-highest point-getter in all of NCAA Division I women's college hockey history. Giguère also ranks third all-time in assists with 168 -- just three helpers shy of overtaking second. With 26 game-winning goals, she sits sixth, and one more game-winner would move her up to third.  Her 119 goals also ranks her ninth all-time in the NCAA in goals scored.  Giguère has skated in a whopping 172 consecutive collegiate games, and has averaged a 1.66 points per game clip throughout her career. A three-time All-American and two-time ECAC First Team selection at Clarkson, Giguère was the 2020 ECAC Hockey Player of the Year en route to winning the Patty Kazmaier that same seson. She was also selected the 2019 USCHO.com Player of the Year.

 

Hughes, named an 2021-22 All-WCHA First Team selection last month, currently has a 1.54  ppg game clip – the seventh-highest in the nation – after leading the NCAA for most of the season with the most points per game. Tied for second in the NCAA with 36 assists and a 1.02 assists per game, those 36 helpers are the ninth most in a UMD single-season ever. Named the HCA National Player of the Month and WCHA Forward of the Month for December, Hughes was also twice named the league's Forward of the Week on Jan. 31 and Jan. 3.  With 55 points (18g, 36a), Hughes has also posted multiple point games 17 times this season, including eight games with three or more points, and ranks fourth among all centers in the NCAA with 451 wins.

 

Equally as impressive has been Hughes' assault on the career record books at UMD.  The assistant senior captain now has 163 career points (67g, 96a) in 122 games, and is now ninth all-time in career points in program history. Hughes also ranks eighth all-time with 96 career assists, and was the seventh-fastest player in program history to score 150 points. UMD's scoring leader in two of her first three seasons (and missed out last season by a single point, Hughes was an All-WCHA Second Team selection as both a junior and a sophomore, and was named to the WCHA's All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 2018-19.

 

Hughes is also one of five finalists for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award.  The award, which is celebrating its 27th season, is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.

 

Hughes is heavily involved in Sophie's Squad, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the mental health of athletes from the youth level to college by raising awareness of mental health issues and removing the stigma associated with getting help.  One of the founders of the organization, Hughes is committed as a board/committee member who attends most meetings, runs all the social media accounts and works to promote the organization.  Hughes , who recently helped coordinate the Sophie's Squad, Hockey Hits Back game for the Bulldogs on Jan. 15 that raised $8,000 to provide resources to mental health organizations around Minnesota, is involved in the organization in many different ways.  Hughes does everything from help pack bags for game participants to lending her her presence at games behind the tables, driving all over Minnesota to support the organization.  All in on the importance of mental health, the assistant captain also joined the leadership board of the Green Bandana Project this fall.  The Green Bandana Project is a student athlete-led mental health awareness campaign at UMD that was started by the athletic department's SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) in the Fall of 2019.

 

UMD has now had 18 honorees among the finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, dating back to 2000. (While the award has existed since 1998, UMD did not have a program until the 1999-00 season.) The Bulldogs as a program have had six top-3 finalists for the award, with the most recent top-3 finalist Lara Stalder in 2017.

 

ALL-TIME UMD PATTY KAZMAIER AWARD TOP-3 FINALISTS

2017 Lara Stalder Forward

2008 Kim Martin Goaltender

2006 Riitta Schaublin Goaltender

2005 Caroline Ouellette Forward

2004 Jenny Potter Forward

2003 Jenny Potter Forward

 

ALL-TIME UMD PATTY KAZMAIER AWARD TOP-10 FINALISTS

2021 Elizabeth Giguere Forward

Gabbie Hughes Forward

2017 Lara Stalder Forward

2011 Haley Irwin Forward

2010 Emmanuelle Blais Forward

2008 Kim Martin Goaltender

2007 Noemie Marin Forward

2006 Noemie Marin Forward

Riitta Schaublin Goaltender

2005 Caroline Ouellette Forward

2004 Caroline Ouellette Forward

Jenny Potter Forward

2003 Jenny Potter Forward

Maria Rooth Forward

2002 Maria Rooth Forward

2001 Maria Rooth Forward

2000 Maria Rooth Forward

Jenny Schmidgal Forward

 

**UMD had at least one finalist for the first nine years of the programs existence

(2000-2008)

 

The finalists (in alphabetical order) are as follows:

NAME	POSITION	YEAR	SCHOOL	HOMETOWN
Skylar Fontaine	Defense	Graduate Student	Northeastern University	East Greenwich, R.I.
Aerin Frankel	Goaltender	Graduate Student	Northeastern University	Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
Élizabeth Giguére	Forward	Fifth Year Senior	University of Minnesota Duluth	Quebec City, Quebec
Taylor Heise	Forward	Senior	University of Minnesota	Lake City, Minn.
Gabbie Hughes	Forward	Senior	University of Minnesota Duluth	Lino Lakes, Minn.
Sophie Jaques	Defense	Senior	Ohio State University	Toronto, Ontario
Alina Mueller	Forward	Senior	Northeastern University	Winterthur, Switzerland
Casey O'Brien	Forward	Sophomore	University of Wisconsin	Milton, Mass.
Theresa Schafzahl	Forward	Senior	University of Vermont	Weiz, Austria
Daryl Watts	Forward	Fifth Year Senior	University of Wisconsin	Toronto, Ontario

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process commenced earlier this month when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by multiple coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was returned to the coaches to vote for the ten finalists.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, and an at-large member and representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The top-three finalists are expected to be announced on Thursday, March 17. 

The presentation of the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is scheduled for Saturday, March 26. More details around the unveiling will be shared soon.           

Notes: Among the top-10 finalists are seven forwards, two defenders and one goaltender… Northeastern University leads the way with three honorees, University of Minnesota, Duluth and University of Wisconsin have two, while University of Minnesota, Ohio State University and University of Vermont have one. 

About the Patty Kazmaier Memorial 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.