Wisconsin Junior Named Top Player in NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey
DULUTH, Minn. – Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), a junior forward from the University of Wisconsin, was today named the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner. In its 15th year, the award is presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.
Decker received the award during a sold-out brunch ceremony at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn. She was chosen from a group of three finalists that also included junior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota) and senior goaltender Florence Schelling (Oberengstringen, Switz./Northeastern University).
"Brianna has meant a lot to our team this season," said Mark Johnson, head coach at the University of Wisconsin. "She was so consistent and gave us a chance to win every night. I'm very happy for her and her family."
Past Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winners
Year Name School
1998 Brandy Fisher Univ. of New Hampshire
1999 A.J. Mleczko Harvard Univ.
2000 Ali Brewer Brown Univ.
2001 Jennifer Botterill Harvard Univ.
2002 Brooke Whitney Northeastern Univ.
2003 Jennifer Botterill Harvard Univ.
2004 Angela Ruggiero Harvard Univ.
2005 Krissy Wendell Univ. of Minnesota
2006 Sara Bauer Univ. of Wisconsin
2007 Julie Chu Harvard Univ.
2008 Sarah Vaillancourt Harvard Univ.
2009 Jessie Vetter Univ. of Wisconsin
2010 Vicki Bendus Mercyhurst College
2011 Meghan Duggan Univ. of Wisconsin
2012 Brianna Decker Univ. of Wisconsin
Amidst a standout season, Decker has been near the top of the NCAA leaderboard in all offensive categories and helped lead the Badgers to the NCAA national championship game where they'll face the University of Minnesota tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Through Friday's (March 16) national semifinals, she is ranked first nationally in goals (37), tied for third in assists (45) and is one of only three players in Division I women's ice hockey to average more than two points per game (2.11). In addition, Decker has five game-winning goals and 36 multi-point games.
Decker, who has helped the UW to a 32-4-2 record and the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll in 22-of-23 weeks, also played a significant role in helping the Badgers to their second straight WCHA regular-season championship.
In the University of Wisconsin record books, Decker currently ranks fourth in career game-winning goals (20) and is tied for third in career shorthanded goals (5).
In Western Collegiate Hockey Association play, Decker tallied 54 points (20-34) in 28 conference games en route to being named the WCHA Player of the Year. Her 1.93 points per game and five game-winning goals both ranked second during league play. Decker's efforts also helped her earn All-WCHA First Team honors for the second straight year.
Off the ice, Decker volunteered at the annual Hunger Fight Drive, along with the Bucky's Kid Clinic and "Skate with the Badgers."
