COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Senior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que./University of Wisconsin), senior forward Cayley Mercer (Exeter, Ont./Clarkson University) and senior forward Lara Stalder (Luzern, Switzerland/University of Minnesota Duluth) have been named the top-three finalists for the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, it was announced today by USA Hockey.
The 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented at a brunch ceremony at the Foundry Arts Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, on Sat., March 18, as part of the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four weekend hosted by Lindenwood University. The award, which is in its 20th year, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.
The selection process commenced in early February when NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by multiple coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top-10 finalists.
The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, were then chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of 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 independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.
For more information about each finalist, click here.
Three Finalists for 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
Name Year Position School
Ann-Renee Desbiens Senior Goaltender University of Wisconsin
Cayley Mercer Senior Forward Clarkson University
Lara Stalder Senior Forward University of Minnesota Duluth
NOTES: Tickets to the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony and Brunch are on sale now and can be purchased here. Individual seats are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600. For more information about Patty Kazmaier and the award, please visit PattyKaz.com. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is supported, in part, by a grant from the NHL Foundation.
