MADISON, Wis. --- The University of North Dakota women's hockey team had eight players named to the 2008-09 All-WCHA Academic team, announced today by the conference in its annual post-season awards.
Making the the team for the Sioux were seniors Casie Hanson (St. Peter, Minn.) and Kelsey Fletcher (St. Paul, Minn.), juniors Cassandra Flanagan (Great Falls, Manitoba), Sam Turner (Hudson, Wis.) and Brittany Kirkham (Ottawa, Ontario), along with sophomores Kelly Lewis (Forest Lake, Minn.), Stephanie Roy (Grande-Digue, New Brunswick) and Nikki Hebert (Lakeville, Minn.).
To qualify for the All-WCHA Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters.
Hanson, three-time WCHA All-Academic team member, was also the leagues Scholar Athlete of Year in both her junior and sophomore campaigns and named UND's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year (all sports) as a junior. A 2005 graduate of St. Peter High School, this years captain was tied for third on the team with nine goals and one assist on the year while playing as a defensive specialist against the other teams top lines. Hanson is the daughter of Craig and Colleen Hanson and majoring in physical education and exercise science.
Fletcher, a first-time WCHA All-Academic team member, was an assistant captain this season. A 2005 graduate of Hill-Murray Hgh School spent her freshman year at Clarkson University before transfering to UND where she gathered four goals and 19 assists in her three years wearing green and white. She had nine assists this year as a top-line defender. Fletcher is the daughter of Kris and Bob Fletcher and majoring in biology.
Flanagan, a two-time WCHA All-Academic team member, led the team with a career-high 98 penalty minutes as a defenseman and third-most in UND single-season history. A 2006 graduate of Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, she has gathered four goals and three assists in her career and is second all-time for penalty minutes with 222, 40 shy of Jessica Kovacevich's (2002-06) record of 262. Flanagan is the daughter of Ken and Cindy Flanagan and majoring in marketing.
Turner, a two-time WCHA All-Academic team member, notched one goal and two assists on the year playing both forward and defenseman for the Sioux. A 2006 graduate of Hudson High School, she has three goals and nine assist in her career. Turner is the daughter of George and Jerri Turner and majoring in physical education and wellness.
Kirkham, a two-time WCHA All-Academic team member, split time in net this season playing in 19 games going 7-9-3 with a .891 save percentage and a 3.38 goals-allowed average. A 2006 graduate of St. Joseph's High School, she has played in one game shy of Amber Hasbargen's school record of 86 games and is tied with Margaret-Ann Hinkley for the school record of six career shutouts. Kirkham is the daughter of Reg and Teri Kirkham and majoring in English with a minor in French.
Lewis, a first-time WCHA All-Academic team member, had seven goals this season (7-12-19)which set a new school record for a defenseman. A 2007 graduate of Forest Lake High School, she played a pivotal part of the teams power play leading the team with five goals. Lewis is the daughter of Jeff and Chris Brown and Wade Lewis and major is undecided.
Roy, a first-time WCHA All-Academic team member, had five goals and 14 assists this season. Her 14 assists was tied for third-best on the squad. A 2007 graduate of Hebron Academy was named UND's Rookie of the Year in her freshman campaign where she led all freshmen with 10 points and six assists and tied for 13th in scoring among WCHA freshmen. Roy is the daughter of Garry and Claire Roy and majoring in physical education and wellness.
Hebert, a first-time WCHA All-Academic team member, played in ten games before suffering a season-ending injury. A 2007 graduate of the Academy of Holy Angels, she has four career goals and one assist which all came in her freshman season. Hebert is the daughter of Mark and Susan Hebert and is majoring in pre-entrepreneurship.
FULL WCHA RELEASE OF ALL AWARDS CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING ON PDF LINK ABOVE
-GO SIOUX-
