The 10 candidates for the 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given annually to the top player in women’s hockey, were named today by USA Hockey.
This year’s award will be presented during the first ever NCAA Women’s tournament, Saturday, March 24 at the Minneapolis Radisson Hotel Metrodome.
Harvard and Minnesota each have two candidates. Six of the candidates are seniors, two are juniors, one is a sophomore and one is a freshman. Two of the them, Jennifer Botterill and Maria Rooth, were also finalists last year.
Earlier this year, The USA Hockey Foundation asked women’s Division I coaches to nominate up to two players from their team for the award. Those players were placed on an official ballot and sent to the coaches, who then voted for the top 10 finalists.
The finalists, as well as the recipient of The 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by an 11-member selection committee comprised of women’s coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, and a representative of USA Hockey, the National Governing Body for the sport of hockey in the United States.
The three finalists for the award will be announced March 12.
The 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 Candidates
Name Yr. Pos. School Hometown
Jennifer Botterill Jr. F Harvard Winnipeg, Man.
Meghan Hunter Fr. F Wisconsin Oil Springs, Ont.
Courtney Kennedy Sr. D Minnesota Woburn, Mass.
Andrea Kilbourne Jr. F Princeton Saranac Lake, N.Y.
Nadine Muzerall Sr. F Minnesota Mississauga, Ont.
Maria Rooth So. F Minn.-Duluth Angelholm, Swe.
Tammy Shewchuk Sr. F Harvard St. Laurent, Que.
Erika Silva Sr. G Northeastern Middletown, R.I.
Jessica Tabb Sr. F Providence Holland, Mass.
Michelle Thornton Sr. F New Hampshire Gloucester, Ont.
Now in its fourth year of existence, the award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990 at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.
Individual dinner tickets are priced at $100.00 for adults and $50.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets, in addition to incremental levels of dinner sponsorship, may be purchased by calling The USA Hockey Foundation at (800) 566-3288, ext. 165; or The Missabe Group at (651) 455-9446. Individual tickets and sponsorship packages are tax-deductible.
