Among the 30 nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is presented to the top women's hockey player in Division I hockey, are three Gophers.
They are junior defenseman Megan Bozek of Buffalo Grove, Illinois; sophomore forward Amanda Kessel of Madison, Wis., junior goalie Noora Raty of Espoo, Finland, and senior forward Jen Schoullis of Erie, Pa. Raty was one of 10 finalists a year ago.
Two other nominees are former Gophers. They are twin sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls of Grand Forks, N.D. They transferred to North Dakota after one season with the Gophers. Both are juniors. Lamoureux is a forward, Monique plays foward and on the blue line.
Wisconsin and Cornell have three nominees.
The top 10 finalists will be announced March 1 and the winner will be named March 17 at a banquet in Duluth, Minn. The WCHA had the most nominees, 12.
There are players from eight states on the list of nominees, but none from Minnesota. That seems pretty strange. Is it unprecedented? Don't know. The list:
Wisconsin, 3
Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and North Dakota, all 2
