15th Annual Award to be Presented March 17 in Duluth, Minn.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The USA Hockey Foundation announced the 10 finalists for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations. The award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 17 at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn., in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four (March 16 and 18).
The 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order): senior forward Bailey Bram (Ste. Anne, Man./Mercyhurst College), junior forward Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis./University of Wisconsin), junior defenseman Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Cornell University), senior forward Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Cornell University), junior forward Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis./University of Minnesota), senior forward Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho/University of Wisconsin), junior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), junior forward/defenseman Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), senior goaltender Florence Schelling (Oberengstringen, Switz./Northeastern University) and senior forward Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Ohio State University).
The top-10 class for the 15th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations, represents all four women's college conferences - College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The award selection process began in late February, when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was then sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.
The three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.
The three finalists for this year's award will be announced on March 8.
2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists
Name Year Pos School
Bailey Bram Sr F Mercyhurst College
Brianna Decker Jr F University of Wisconsin
Laura Fortino Jr D Cornell University
Rebecca Johnston Sr F Cornell University
Amanda Kessel So F University of Minnesota
Hilary Knight Sr F University of Wisconsin
Jocelyne Lamoureux Jr F University of North Dakota
Monique Lamoureux-Kolls Jr F/D University of North Dakota
Florence Schelling Sr G Northeastern University
Natalie Spooner Sr F Ohio State University
