Former University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey All-American Lara Stalder became the seventh player in program history to be named to a fourth Olympic Team with Switzerland Wednesday. 
 

Stalder, who famously converted from defense to center prior to her sophomore season, was a member of the University of Minnesota Duluth Women's Hockey 25th Anniversary Team. The native of Luzern, Switzerland, and arguably one of the best players ever to come out of the country, Stalder's offensive stock rose every year she skated for the Bulldogs. Named to the 2013-14 All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie Team, as well as an All-WCHA Third Team selection as a freshman defenseman, Stalder missed eight games with the Bulldogs in the winter of 2014 helping Switzerland to an Olympic bronze medal. 

 

Stalder crowned her career as a senior in 2016-17 with one of the best seasons in all of the NCAA, and was named the WCHA's Player of the Year and WCHA's Student-Athlete of the Year. The 2016-17 accolade list is long for Stalder, who along with also being selected to the All-WCHA First Team, earned First Team All-American honors to pair with her Patty Kazmaier Top-3 designation. Remarkably, Stalder ranked second in the NCAA in points per game her senior season, (1.66), fourth in assists and was tied for first with six-game winning goals. Stalder put up 56 points as a senior on an even 23 goals and 23 assists, and to this day remains No.12 all-time on UMD's career points list with 148 points with 54 career goals and 94 assists – which also still stands as the ninth most assists in program history.

 

A now four-time Olympian with Switzerland who has logged 17 points (9g, 8a) over 18 Olympic skates, Stalder helped lead the Bulldogs back into the NCAA Tournament in 2017 for the first time in six seasons. Stalder and Co. not only put the UMD back into the NCAA postseason – they brought an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal game to AMSOIL Arena for the first time in program history on March 11, 2017.