The NCAA has announced the participants for the second annual Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which will be held April 6 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The competition will be conducted in an East versus West format with each team having six male position players, six female position players, two male goaltenders and two female goaltenders. An alternate list has been established in the event that players have to withdraw from the competition due to other commitments, such as their team’s participation in the men’s Frozen Four.
To be eligible, all players must have exhausted their collegiate eligibility and be nominated by their head coach. Players were selected by representatives from the American Hockey Coaches Association, the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee and the National Youth Sports Corporation.
The competitions will include puck control relay, fastest skater, hardest shot, rapid-fire shooting, accuracy shooting and penalty shot. Each competitor will receive a complete set of equipment and a full uniform from Nike Bauer Hockey.
“The committee was delighted with last year’s competition and really anticipate an even better event this year,” said Marty Scarano, chair of the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee and director of athletics at New Hampshire . “The student-athletes will have a great time and it will be very entertaining for fans both live and on ESPNU. We congratulate everyone named to the East and West squads.”
The men’s portion of the East squad is highlighted by the one of the nation’s current leading goaltenders, John Curry of Boston University. The other goaltender is Jason Smith from Sacred Heart. The six male skaters on the East squad include Kyle Bozoian, Fredonia State; Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac; Kirk MacDonald, Rensselaer; Jacob Micflikier, New Hampshire; Mike Morris, Northeastern; and Andrew Ramsey, Air Force.
The women on the East squad include Crystal Connors, St. Lawrence; Kristin Gigliotti, Providence; Cara Hendry, Boston U.; Natalie Vibert, Connecticut; Lindsay Williams, Clarkson; and Sheila Zingler, Yale. The goalies will be Melissa Bourdon, New Hampshire, and Jana Bugden, Providence.
The West team is loaded with three of the nation’s top 10 scorers: Michigan ‘s T.J. Hensick, Nebraska-Omaha’s Scott Parse and Niagara’s Sean Bentivoglio. Also on the West squad will be Lars Helminen, Michigan Tech; Aaron Johnson, Augsburg; and Andrew Joudrey, Wisconsin. The West goaltenders will be Notre Dame’s David Brown, who is currently leading the nation in goals against average, and Lake Superior State’s Jeff Jakaitis.
The women’s portion of the West roster includes Wisconsin’s Sara Bauer, who is one of the nation’s top five scorers. Also on the team are Julia Colizza, Mercyhurst; Kelly Hart, Bemidji State; Noemie Marin, Minnesota Duluth; Sammy Miller, Minnesota State; and Maggie Souba, Minnesota. The two female goaltenders will be Riitta Schaublin, Minnesota-Duluth, and Erika Vanderveer, Ohio State.
Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased at the Scottrade Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 314-241-1888.
The Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge will begin at 7:30 p.m. Central time and will be preceded by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award at 6 p.m. and the Hockey Humanitarian Award at 6:35 p.m. The Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award will both be shown live on ESPNU.
