| One candidate is from New York State. |
| COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The recipient of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be unveiled during a special hour-long show Saturday (March 27) at 2:00 p.m. ET on NHL Network celebrating women’s college hockey and ultimately revealing the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey this season.In addition to spotlighting each of the 10 finalists for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the program will include live interviews by host Jackie Redmond with each of this year’s top-three finalists, including Aerin Frankel (Northeastern University/Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.), Daryl Watts (University of Wisconsin/Toronto, Ontario) and Grace Zumwinkle (University of Minnesota/Excelsior, Minn.). In addition, Redmond will have a special conversation with Olympic gold-medalist A.J. Mleczko, who won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 1999 and also just finished covering the 2021 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey and The USA Hockey Foundation, and Serena Veazey, daughter of the late Patty Kazmaier, will also join in the celebration. Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield, who won the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be making a special appearance and reveal this year’s winner.  Aerin Frankel  Daryl Watts  Grace Zumwinkle SELECTION PROCESS The selection process commenced late 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 independent account firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots. The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2021 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 representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in the NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement. ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defender at 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 Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease. For media requests with the top-three finalists, contact Mae Divinski ([email protected]/719-538-1169). NOTES: This year’s top 10-finalists include Skylar Fontaine (Northeastern University/East Greenwich, R.I.), Aerin Frankel, Élizabeth Giguère (Clarkson University/Québec City, Québec), Caitrin Lonergan (Clarkson University/Roslindale, Mass.), Emma Maltais (Ohio State University/Burlington, Ontario), Alina Müller (Winterhur, Switzerland), Sophie Shirley (University of Wisconsin/Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Daryl Watts, Kiara Zanon (Penn State University/Fairport, N.Y.) and Grace Zumwinkle. For more information about each finalist, go here. |
