March 21, 2008

Duluth, Minn. - The USA Hockey Foundation announced tonight that junior forward Sarah Vaillancourt of Harvard is the winner of the 2008 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The announcement came at a dinner on the eve of the national championship game between Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin. In its 11th year, the award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Mercyhurst sophomore forward Meghan Agosta, a top 3 finalist for the second straight year, and Minnesota Duluth sophomore goaltender Kim Martin were the runners-up.

Agosta followed a tremendous freshman season with another record-setting year for Mercyhurst. Among her accomplishments:

First Team All-American...CHA Player of the Year and Tournament MVP...5-time CHA Offensive POTW...3-time USCHO.com POTW...despite missing 4 of 12 conference games, she tied for 7th in points (15), was 3rd in goals (9), finished 8th in assists (6), tied for 4th in power play goal (2), finished first in shorthanded goals (3), and was second in game-winning goals with 3...led the team in goals (40), points (65), game-winning goals (9),and shorthanded goals (7)...tied for first in power play goals with 10...set Mercyhurst record with 20-game scoring streak...set a one-game record with 17 shots on goal against Brown and a one-season record in shorthanded goals with 7...had 5-point games against Quinnipiac and Colgate and 4-goal games against Brown and Colgate...had a dozen multiple-goal games and 18 multiple-point games...finished her second season at Mercyhurst first all-time in goals (78), shorthanded goals (13), and game-winning goals (20) and second in points (139) and power play goals (26) ...member of Team Canada at 2008 European Air Canada Cup where she made All-Tournament Team...chosen to play for Team Canada at Women's World Championship In China in April 2008.

Vaillancourt had 62 points (26g, 36a) in 34 games. Harvard, 32-2-0 and ranked No. 1 nationally, reached the Division I semifinals yesterday before being eliminated by defending national champion, Wisconsin, 4-1.

Martin (30-4-1, 1.49, .947) is a sophomore goaltender for Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs edged New Hampshire 3-2 last night and will play Wisconsin Saturday in a re-match of last year's title game, which was won by the Badgers 4-1.

The three finalists represented three different NCAA Division I women's ice hockey conferences - College Hockey America (Agosta), ECAC Hockey (Vaillancourt) and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (Martin). Last year, Agosta was in the top three, while Vaillancourt was a top-10 finalist.

Harvard has now won the award four times in the last six years and six times in the first eleven.