Clarkson’s Elizabeth Giguere wins Kazmaier Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Clarkson junior forward Elizabeth Giguere has been selected as the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner, presented annually to the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey.

USA Hockey made the announcement on Friday. The native of Quebec City was the NCAA Division I leader with 37 goals this season, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Giguere added 29 assists for the Golden Knights, who finished 25-6-6 and reached the NCAA Tournament. They were scheduled to face No. 2 seed Wisconsin in a quarterfinal on March 14, before all winter sports were canceled.

Giguere is the 23rd recipient of the award and the third from Clarkson, joining Loren Gabel (2019) and Jamie Lee Rattray (2014). Giguere will enter her senior season with 210 career points, just four behind Gabel’s program record.

Northeastern sophomore Alina Mueller and Wisconsin senior forward Abby Roque were the other finalists, as chosen by a 13-person selection committee comprised mostly of coaches and media.

“It would be hard to say that any one player has elevated their game or put their team on their shoulders more than Elizabeth has this year,” Clarkson coach Matt Desrosiers said in a statement distributed by USA Hockey. “We have been fortunate to have had some great players come through our program, but Elizabeth has displayed the ability to do things on the ice that just make you shake your head in amazement. One of the best attributes she has shown is the capability to make everyone around her better.”

The award is named for the late Patty Kazmaier, a star at Princeton who died in 1990 at age 28 following a long bout with a rare blood disease.