Princeton University Athletics
Sarah Fillier Named a Top-10 Finalist for the 2019 Patty Kazmaier
February 21, 2019 | Women's Ice Hockey
The award is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey and will be presented at a brunch ceremony at Cascade Fine Catering in Hamden, Conn., on Saturday, March 12 as part of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four weekend.
Fillier leads the nation in scoring - averaging 2.04 points per game and leads the nation in assists per game with 1.35 apg. She ranks seventh in Division I in goals per game (0.70). Fillier leads the Tigers in scoring with 47 points on 16 goals and 31 assists in her 23 games, missing four to compete for Hockey Canada at the Four Nations Cup. She was named the Hockey Commissioner's Association Rookie of the Month in December and January, following her being named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Month during those two months. She has earned ECAC Hockey Player of the Week on Jan. 7 and Rookie of the Week on Dec. 3 and Jan. 7 and was the NCAA First Star of the Week on Jan. 8.
The Georgetown, Ontario native had a six-game goal-scoring streak of nine points and a nine-game point scoring streak totaling 23 points. She is the first Princeton skater to have a five-point game since 2006 and has 16 games with at least two or more points. She has won more than 250 face offs and has blocked 16 shots. In her first year as a Tiger she has helped Princeton to its highest ranking in program history, an Ivy League title, and an 20-game unbeaten streak the longest in the nation this year and the longest in program history.
Fillier is the sixth Tiger to be named a candidate for the award. She joins Kelsey Koelzer (2015, 2016), Kim Pearce (2006), Gretchen Anderson (2004), Andrea Kilbourne (2001, 2003) and Ali Coughlin (1998, 1999).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 selection process commenced earlier this month 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 accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2019 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 Thursday, Feb. 28.
Tickets to the 2019 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony and Brunch can be purchased at PattyKaz.com. Individual seats to the event are $65, while tables of 10 are available for $600. A select number of sponsorships and program advertisements are also available.
