2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Nominees Announced

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Eighteen (18) ECAC Hockey standouts are among a total of 45 players nominated for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, it was announced by USA Hockey. Nominations for the award, which is presented by the USA Hockey Foundation, were made by NCAA Division I women's ice hockey head coaches.

ECAC Hockey nominees include the following:

Forwards: Kate Buesser, Harvard; Bray Ketchum, Yale; Sarah Parsons, Dartmouth; Liza Ryabkina, Harvard; Britney Selina, Clarkson; Katie Stewart, Colgate; Dominique Thibault^, Clarkson; Amanda Trunzo^, Dartmouth; and Catherine White, Cornell.

Defenseman: Leanna Coskren, Harvard; Laura Fortino, Cornell; Laura Gersten, Rensselaer; Lauriane Rougeau, Cornell; and Britni Smith, St. Lawrence.

Goaltenders: Lauren Dahm^, Clarkson; Christina Kessler, Harvard; Jaclyn Snikeris, Yale; and Sonja van der Bliek, Rensselaer.

The NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches will also select the top-10 finalists from among the group of 45, with the announcement taking place March 2. A 13-member selection committee will choose the three finalists (announced March 9), as well as the award recipient.
Held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four, the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 20 at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center at 10 a.m. CDT.

Tickets to the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award ceremony may be purchased by calling 719-538-1184, or by e-mailing or faxing a completed ticket form, which can be found at PattyKaz.com. Individual seats are $75, while tables of 10 are available for $700.
The full list of 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award nominees is below.

NOTES: Twenty-four teams are represented among the nominees, as well as each of the four NCAA Division I women's ice hockey conference ... Six of the nominated players were also nominated in 2009, including Cristin Allen (Pickering, Ont./Univ. of Connecticut), Melissa Anderson (Langley, B.C./Boston Univ.), Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Clarkson Univ.), Lucy Schoedel (Ithaca, N.Y./Syracuse Univ.), Dominique Thibault (L'Orignal, Ont./Clarkson Univ.) and Amanda Trunzo (Andover, Minn./Dartmouth College) ... The award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman for 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 on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28, following a long struggle with a rare blood disease … For more information and to sign up for the Kaz Connection, a free monthly e-newsletter dedicated solely to the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, please visit PattyKaz.com.

2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Nominees

^2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award nominee