One of the most creative on ice players ever to wear the sweater, Haley Irwin has been named the second selection to the University of Minnesota Duluth Women's Hockey 25th Anniversary Team.

A native of nearby Thunder Bay, Ontario, Irwin burst on to the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center ice as a freshman, compiling 60 points (23g, 37a) – the fourth most by a rookie in program history – en route to helping the Bulldogs win the 2008 NCAA title on home ice. Over her career, Irwin amassed 206 career points in just 134 games, including 79 goals and 125 – marks that still stand in the UMD record books today. Irwin graduated as the fifth all-time scorer in program history, and still ranks the sixth, and left with the third most assists and fourth most goals. With five hat tricks over her career, including three in nine games over the 2010-11 season, Irwin was a four-time All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association Team selection, the 2007-08 WCHA Scoring Champion, and was named the 2007-08 WCHA Rookie of the Year. Irwin earned an All-WCHA First Team honor in 2007-08, a All-WCHA Second Team member in 2010-11, and twice an All-WCHA Third Team selection in both 2008-09 and 2011-12. Irwin was also named to the 2008 WCHA All-Tournament Team after scoring three goals and adding two assists in two games – including the overtime game-winner against the University of Wisconsin in the WCHA to clinch the 2008 WCHA Tournament title.

A 2011 Patty Kazamier Top-10 finalist, Irwin spent a year centralized with the Canadian Olympic Team in the middle of her college career, and earned an Olympic gold medal with Canada where the then junior at UMD scored four goals and added an assist for five points in five games. In all, Irwin was a three-time Olympian with Canada, earning back-to-back gold medals in 2010 and 2014 and a silver medal in 2018. In addition to her three Olympic medals, Irwin earned five IIHF World Championship medals, including a gold in 2012 and four silvers (2009. 2011, 2013, 2017).


About the 25th Anniversary Team
The 25th Anniversary Team was selected by longtime local media members and local hockey historians. Each member of the selection committee privately selected a total of 25 players, which included a starting six players that will represent the six best players so far in Bulldog history. The only requirements for the other 19 players selected by committee members was that at least three of them were positionally defenseman and at least two goaltenders. 

A list of greatness, the 25th Anniversary Team will span the more than two decades of players that have skated for one of the most successful NCAA Division I women's hockey programs in all of women's college hockey. UMD women's hockey will unveil one player every Thursday in no particular order over the regular season, and then the last week of the regular season, will announce its 25th Anniversary starting lineup.



25th Anniversary Players Announced to Date:

Hanne Sikiö (1999-2003)
Sikiö was a Bulldog from 1999-2003, and was an integral part of the program's historic NCAA title run of three-straight championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The Lempäälä, Finland native had eight points, including five goals in six NCAA Frozen Four games -- two of which came in UMD's 2003 title tilt thriller against Harvard in the sold out Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The two championship game tallies undoubtedly helped secure a 2003 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament selection for Sikiö.

With 220 career points in 123 games, Sikiö still ranks as the program's fourth all-time scorer. Sikiö also ranks third all-time for goals (100), and fifth for assists (120), while her 34 goal season in 2000-01 ranks as the fifth most goals in a single season in program history. An Olympian who helped Finland to a fourth place finish in 2002, Sikiö was a two-time All-WCHA Second Team selection in 1999-00 and 2000-01, as well as a 2001 WCHA All-Academic Team member.

Sikiö also played in three IIHF Women's World Championship tournaments, helping Finland capture bronze in both 1999 and 2003.