Johnston Among Kazmaier Award Finalists

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell sophomore Rebecca Johnston is one of 10 finalists for the 2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award it was announced by USA Hockey on Monday. The award is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey. Johnston is one of two finalists from ECAC Hockey.

Johnston (Sudbury, Ont.) received her second first-team All-Ivy honor last week, and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season. The forward leads the Big Red in scoring with 45 points on 25 goals and 20 assists, which also ranks her seventh nationally in points per game with 1.73. She also ranks sixth in goals per game with 1.73. Johnston has notched two hat tricks this season and had 13 multi-point games. As a freshman, she became the first Cornell player to be named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year and to the ECAC Hockey first team. Johnston has been named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week three times this season.

Away from the ice, Johnston has participated in many team community service activities. She volunteers as a Big Red Cub Club big sister and helps with Meals on Wheels Food-Net. Johnston and the Big Red raised over $1,600 for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and she also participates in the Salvation Army’s Adopt a Family program during the holidays.

Johnston is also a member of the Canadian National team and under-22 team. The Big Red player joined up with the Under-22 Canadian National Team in Ravensburg, Germany, for the MLP Cup, from Jan. 2-6. Johnston and Team Canada brought home the silver medal after Sweden edged out the Canadians 2-1 in the gold medal game. Johnston totaled seven points in four games with three goals and four assists. The Big Red forward scored a natural hat trick and added an assist in leading Canada past Russia, 11-0, in the preliminary round. Johnston also rejoined the Canadian National Team to play in the Four Nations Cup held in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Nov. 4-9. Team Canada took silver in Johnston’s second Four Nations Cup; she helped Team Canada win its fourth-straight gold medal last season in Leksand, Sweden. Last summer, Johnston and freshman Chelsea Karpenko teamed up this summer to help the Canadian Under-22 team defeat the United States in a best-of-three series. Johnston notched a goal and three assists in the three contests.

In alphabetical order, the 10 finalists are: Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) from Mercyhurst College, Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont.) from Cornell University, Hilary Knight (Hanover, N.H.) from the University of Wisconsin, Monique Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) from the University of Minnesota, Erika Lawler (Fitchburg, Mass.) from the University of Wisconsin, Gigi Marvin (Warroad, Minn.) from the University of Minnesota, Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) from Boston College, Sarah Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, Que.) from Harvard University, Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.) from the University of Wisconsin and Jenn Wakefield (Pickering, Ont.) from the University of New Hampshire.

The top-10 class represents all four women’s college conferences in College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The award selection process began in early February, when NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Nominated players were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP tabulated the ballots.

The top three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, are chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media 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 March 10.