Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Koelzer Named Candidate for Patty Kazmaier Award
February 25, 2016 | Women's Ice Hockey
The award, which is presented annually by the USA Hockey Foundation, will be presented on the evening of Saturday, March 19 at the Wentworth By The Sea (New Castle ,N.H.), and will again be held in conjunction with the 2016 NCAA Women's Frozen Four, to take place on March 18 and 20 at the Whittemore Arena, home of the University of New Hampshire.
A native of Horsham, Pa., Koelzer is the only candidate for the award from the ECAC Hockey League. Koelzer is second nationally in point per game by a defender, averaing 1.03 ppg. She has tallied 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points. With a +24 on-ice rating, Koelzer has scored four game-winning goals, two in overtime, and seven power-play goals. She recorded her first career hat trick this season against Brown and is a two-time ECAC Player of the Week earning the honors on Dec. 8 and Jan. 5. Additionally, Koelzer is 29th nationally in point per game amongst all players, 16th in goals per game, 14th in game-winning goals and fifth in power-play goals.
She leads the ECAC in defenseman scoring with 21 points 22 conference games and is third in the league in point scoring overall. She is tied for the lead in power-play goals and is second in game winners.
Koelzer becomes the fifth Tiger to be named a candidate for the award and the first in 10 years. She joins Kim Pearce (2006), Gretchen Anderson (2004), Andrea Kilbourne (2001, 2003) and Ali Coughlin (1998, 1999).
The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be 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. The top-three finalists will be announced on Thurs., March 3.
The award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letterwinner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton 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 on Feb. 15, 1990 at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.
The 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 Candidates
Shelby Amsley-Benzie, Senior, Goaltender, University of North Dakota
Hannah Brandt, Senior, Forward , University of Minnesota
Dani Cameranesi, Junior, Forward, University of Minnesota
Alex Carpenter, Senior, Forward, Boston College
Kendall Coyne, Senior, Forward, Northeastern University
Ann-Renee Desbiens, Junior, Goaltender, University of Wisconsin
Megan Keller, Sophomore, Defense, Boston College
Kelsey Koelzer, Junior, Defense, Princeton University
Annie Pankowski, Sophomore, Forward, University of Wisconsin
Haley Skarupa, Senior, Forward, Boston College