Halldorson Receives AHCA Founders Award
The Officers and Governors the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced Thursday that former Princeton standout Laura Halldorson is the 2011 recipient of the Women’s Ice Hockey Founders Award.
The award, which was presented for the first time in 2010, honors a member of the hockey community or college coaching profession who has contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of women’s ice hockey in the United States through their enthusiasm, passion and selflessness. Halldorson will be presented the award at the 2011 AHCA Convention in Naples, FL, April 28-May 1.
Complete list of honorees can be accessed as a PDF by clicking here.
Halldorson has been a true pioneer in the sport of women’s hockey. She played hockey as a young person for her high school in Wayzata, Minneso-ta, and then went to play four years at Princeton where she led the Tigers to three Ivy League championships. She has coached at the college level since 1987 at Princeton, Colby, and the University of Minnesota. Her coaching has extended to the national team level as well.
One of the most successful women’s hockey coaches in the nation and the first to lead a program to five consecutive Frozen Fours, Halldorson guided Minnesota to three national championships (2000, 2004, 2005) during her 10 seasons of competitive coaching and departed Minnesota with an impressive record of 278-67-22 (.787). Coaching seven years at Colby College before her hiring at Minnesota, Halldorson left an 18-year head coaching career with a 337-142- 31 overall record.
Now a resident of Plymouth, MN, Halldorson received her B.A. in Psychology from Princeton in 1985. Twice an All-Ivy performer, she carried this success into her coaching career. Among her coaching honors, she was the AHCA’s National Coach of the Year in 1998, 2002 and 2004. She currently works in the Athletic Development Office at the University of Minnesota.
