GRAND FORKS, N.D. --- The USA Hockey Foundation today announced the 10 finalists for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Award, including both Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls.
The Lamoureux-twins become the first Fighting Sioux to reach the final 10 in program history. Both were nominees last year reaching the initial ballot but didn't make the final 10.
The award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 17 at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn., in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four (March 16 and 18).
The 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order): senior forward Bailey Bram (Ste. Anne, Man./Mercyhurst College), junior forward Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis./University of Wisconsin), junior defenseman Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Cornell University), senior forward Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Cornell University), junior forward Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis./University of Minnesota), senior forward Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho/University of Wisconsin), junior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), junior forward/defenseman Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D./University of North Dakota), senior goaltender Florence Schelling (Oberengstringen, Switz./Northeastern University) and senior forward Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Ohio State University).
Lamoureux and Lamoureux-Kolls are currently ranked first and fifth in the nation in points with 82 and 74, respectively. Both of the Grand Forks natives, were actively involved in reading to elementary students and volunteering at Special Olympics events this season.
Lamoureux leads the nation in assists (48) and is second in nation in goals (34), trailing Brianna Decker by one. She is also tied for fourth in the nation in power-play goals (11), has a +45 plus/minus rating, has 24 multi-point games and collected her 200th career point as a junior in only 105 games.
Lamoureux-Kolls leads the nation in points by a defenseman, is second in the nation in assists (44), tied for seventh in power-play goals (10), tied for fourth in shorthanded goals (three), has a +43 plus/minus rating, has 18 multi-point games, had a program record 8-point game and is currently one point short of collecting her 200th career point.
The top-10 class for the 15th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by Easton Foundations, represents all four women's college conferences - College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The award selection process began in late February, when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was then sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.
The three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of the 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 three finalists for this year's award will be announced on March 8.
For more video highlights, interviews, statistics and more click here.
