COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Hockey Foundation announced today that Aerin Frankel (Goaltender, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Northeastern University), Daryl Watts (Forward, Toronto, Ontario/University of Wisconsin) and Grace Zumwinkle (Forward, Excelsior, Minn./University of Minnesota) have been named as the top-three finalists for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
For more information about each finalist, click here.
The 24th winner of the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be revealed on Saturday, March 27, as part of a special broadcast on NHL Network. Jackie Redmond will serve as host and all 10 award finalists will be featured.
FROZEN FOUR: Catch up on all the action from the 2021 NC women's hockey championships.
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process commenced late February 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 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, were then 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.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: See all the past winners
ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.
ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University 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 Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.
