Wisconsin Dominates Women’s WCHA Awards

League champion Wisconsin placed two players on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s all-conference team and swept individual honors, it was announced Thursday.

The Badgers’ Sara Bauer, a senior from St. Catherine’s, Ont who won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best women’s collegiate hockey player last season, was named the WCHA Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Bauer captured the conference scoring race with 51 points in 28 WCHA games. She scored 16 goals and added 35 assists. She joins Minnesota-Duluth senior Noemie Marin and Minnesota sophomore Gigi Marvin as the 2006-07 all-league forwards. Ohio State junior Tessa Bonhomme and Wisconsin senior Meghan Mikkelson are the all-WCHA defenseman and Wisconsin sophomore Jessie Vetter was voted the all-league goalie.

Bauer was third in the NCAA scoring race during the regular season with 62 points in 34 games. She was second in the country with 40 assists, tied for 13th with 22 goals, ranked fifth in the nation with 1.82 points per game and third with 1.18 assists per game.

Marin, a forward from Acton-Vale, Que., is the Duluth captain and tied for 11th in the NCAA during the regular season with 42 points in 32 games. She tied for 16th in the country with 21 goals, tied for 23rd with 21 assists and tied for 16th overall with 1.31 points per game. Marin was second in the WCHA with 41 points in 28 league games. She led the league with 21 goals and tied for fifth with 20 assists.

Marvin, a winger from Warroad, Minn. who was the WCHA rookie of the year last season, scored 16 goals and had 31 points for the Gophers.

For the fourth consecutive year, the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year has hailed from Wisconsin. This year, Mikkelson succeded teammate Bobbi-Jo Slusar, a two-time winner, as the top defender, an award voted on by league head coaches.

Mikkelson, a senior defenseman from St. Albert, Alta., tied for 11th in the NCAA with 42 points in 34 games and tied for sixth with 32 assists. Mikkelson was second in the country during the regular season with 1.24 points per game among defensemen and ninth overall with .94 assists per game. She also anchors a defense that allows a nation’s best 0.94 goals per game and boasts 15 shutouts, a school record. She led WCHA defensemen with 33 points in 28 league games and was fifth overall. Mikkelson tied for second in the league with 24 assists.

Bonhomme, from Sudbury, Ontario, is a co-captain for Ohio State. After redshirting the 2005-06 season while participating in the Canadian National Women’s Centralization Program in preparation for the 2006 Winter Olympics, Bonhomme returned to the Buckeyes and ranked third on the team in scoring with 34 points, the fourth-most by a defenseman in Ohio State history. Bonhomme was third in the NCAA defenseman point rankings with 1.13 points per game. Her 14 goals are the second-most by any blueliner in the nation and led all WCHA defensemen. She leads the Buckeyes with four game-winning goals.

Vetter, from Cottage Grove, Wi. and Christine Dufour provided Wisconsin with the best goaltending tandem in the league. They combined for 15 shutouts. Vetter was voted the top goalie while Dufour won the statistical award of 2005-06 WCHA Goaltending Champion. Vetter had a 1.24 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932.

Dufour, a senior from Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, owned the top goals-against average in conference play at 1.07 over 727:01 of action. In addition, she went undefeated in WCHA games at 11-0-1 and was second in saves percentage in league play at .949.

Bauer, Morin, Bonhomme and Mikkelson were also recently named a top 10 candidate for the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Award.

Wisconsin’s Meghan Duggan was named the 2006-07 WCHA Rookie of the Year. A freshman forward from Danvers, Mass, Duggan ranked first among league rookies in scoring with 34 points and also led the freshman class with 17 goals. She was the fourth leading scorer in the league overall.

Minnesota Duluth’s Riitta Schaublin has been named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. A senior goaltender from Basel, Switzerland, Schaublin ranked among the league goaltending leaders. She finished the regular season ranked thirdd with a .938 save percentage and was fourth with a 1.59 goals against average. A two-time all-WCHA academic team member, Schaublin was a Patty Kazmaier finalist last year and completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics with a 3.94 grade point average. She is pursuing her degree in the Minnesota Duluth Math Department’s master’s program during her final year of athletic eligibility and had a 4.0 GPA last semester while serving as a teacher’s assistant for calculus II class. She plans to finish graduate school in December, 2007 and eventualy obtain a PhD in economics. Off the ice, she participates in numerous community outreach programs and also shares her talents as a coach to youth goalies in the Duluth area.

The WCHA Coach of the Year award was given to Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson for the second straight year. Johnson, in his fifth season with the Badgers, led the team to a 31-1-4 overall record heading into the WCHA Playoff Championship Tournament and a 23-1-4 conference record. The Badgers won their second straight WCHA regular season title and is the defending national champion. Johnson, the son of legendary Badgers’ men’s coach Bob Johnson, is 142-28-14 for his career and will coach team USA in the world championships in Winnipeg next month.

The conference head coaches, assistant coaches and sports information directors vote for the WCHA award winners. The WCHA Defensive Player of the Year Award was chosen solely by the head coaches, while the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year was selected by the institutional faculty representatives.

2007 Women’s Awards
All-WCHA First Team
Forwards:
Sara Bauer, Wisconsin
Noemie Marin, Minnesota-Duluth
Gigi Marvin, Minnesota

Defense:
Meaghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin
Tessa Bonhomme, Ohio State< Goaltender: Jessie Vetter, Wisconsin All-WCHA Second Team Forwards: Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin Erin Keys, Ohio State Jinelle Zaugg, Wisconsin Defense: Amber Bowman, Ohio State Bobbi-Jo Slusar, Wisconsin Goaltender: Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth All-WCHA Third Team Forwards: Jessica Koizumi, Minnesota-Duluth Erika Lawler, Wisconsin Bobbi Ross, Minnesota Defense: Melanie Gagnon, Minnesota Lisa Chesson, Ohio State Goaltender: Christine Dufour, Wisconsin All-WCHA Rookie Team Forwards: Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State Saara Tuominen, Minnesota-Duluth Defense: Holly Snyder, Minnesota State Michelle Maunu, Minnesota and Ashley Lynch, North Dakota (tie) Goaltender: Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth Player of the Year Sara Bauer, Wisconsin Rookie of the Year Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin Coach of the Year Mark Johnson, Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Year Meghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year Riitta Schaublin, Minnesota Duluth Goaltending Champion Christine Dufour, Wisconsin Scoring Champion Sara Bauer, Wisconsin 2006-07 All-WCHA Academic Team Bemidji State: Haley Balcom, Jr.; Emily Brookshaw, Jr.; Brooke Collins, So.; Tara Hiscock, Jr.; Lisa Kissick, So.; Jaime LeDuc, Jr.; Jessica Pullar, Jr.; Monica Rawlings, So.; Kate Robinson, Sr.; Helena Tageson, Sr.; Nina Zieganhals, Sr. Minnesota: Lindsay Block, So.; Gigi Marvin, So.; Erica McKenzie, Jr.; Anya Miller, Jr.; Andrea Nichols, Sr.; Bobbi Ross, Jr.; Maggie Souba, Sr.; Dagney Willey, So. UMD: Karine Demeule, Jr.; Kirsti Hakala, So.; Jessica Koizumi, Sr.; Michaela Lanzl, So.; Noemie Marin, Sr.; Tawni Mattila, So.; Riitta Schaublin, Sr.; Myriam Trepanier, So.; Suvi Vacker, Sr. Minnesota State: Kristina Bunker, Jr.; Jodi Helminen, Jr.; Jenna Hewitt, So.; Megan Jedinak, Sr.; Britni Kehler, Jr.; Lindsay Macy, Jr.; Samantha Miller, Sr.; Richelle St. Croix, Sr.; Amanda Stohr, Jr.; Andreanne Thibault, Jr.; Shera Vis, Sr.; Ashley Young, So. North Dakota: Aynsley Allen, Sr.; Christey Allen, Jr.; Christine Carlson, So.; Alexia Gagnon-LaPlante, Sr.; Casie Hanson, So.; Alyssa Johnson, So.; Randi Motsko, So. Ohio State: Olivia Antognoli, So.; Liana Bonanno, So.; Amber Bowman, Sr.; Jody Heywood, Jr.; Megan Hostasek, So.; Erin Keys, Jr.; Whitney Miller, So.; Mallory Peckels, Jr.; Lacey Schultz, Sr.; Krysta Skarda, Sr.; Erika Vanderveer, Sr. St. Cloud State: Bobbie Anderson, Jr.; Hailey Clarkson, Sr.; Jacqueline Jensen, Sr.; Abby Krause, Jr.; Laura Fast, Jr.; Tricia Fast, Sr.; Marie-Michel Lemieux, Jr.; Denelle Maguet, Sr.; Michelle Moen, So.; Sammy Nixon, So.; Brita Schroeder, So.; Lauri St. Jacques, Sr. Wisconsin: Sara Bauer, Sr.; Rachel Bible, So.; Angie Keseley, So.; Heidi Kletzien, Sr.; Meaghan Mikkelson, Sr.; Phoebe Monteleone, Sr.; Jessie Vetter, So. All-WCHA ballot results Forwards: Sara Bauer, Wisconsin, 68 points Noemie Marin, Minnesota-Duluth, 52 Gigi Marvin, Minnesota, 47 Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin, 41 Erin Keys, Ohio State, 42 Jinelle Zaugg, Wisconsin, 35 Jessica Koizumi, Minnesota-Duluth, 30 Bobbi Jo Ross, Minnesota, 20 Erika Lawler, Wisconsin, 18 Maggie Fisher, Minnesota State, 16 Mallory Peckels, Ohio State, 9 Holly Roberts, St. Cloud, 7 Michaela Lanzl, Minnesota-Duluth, 6 Erica McKenzie, Minnesota, 5 Saara Tuominen, Minnesota-Duluth 4 Nikki Eckebrecht, Bemidji State, 3 Morgan Marziali, Ohio State, 3 Kelly Hart, Bemidji State, 2 Sara O'Toole, Minnesota-Duluth, 2 Emmanulle Blais, Minnesota-Duluth, 2 Lindsay Macy, Minnesota State 1 Defense Tessa Bonhomme, Ohio State, 64 Meaghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin, 58 Bobbi Jo Slusar, Wisconsin, 51 Amber Bowman, Ohio State, 43 Melanie Gagnon, Minnesota, 18 Lisa Chesson, Ohio State, 18 Anya Miller, Minnesota, 7 Jill Sales, Minnesota-Duluth, 5 Brittni Kuyper, St. Cloud State, 4 Brooke Collins, Bemidji State, 3 Sammy Miller, Minnesota State, 2 Jamie Rasmussen, Minnesota Duluth, 1 All Rookie team Forwards: Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin, 21 Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State, 15 Saara Tuominen, Minnesota-Duluth, 14 Christina Lee, Minnesota State, 8 Emmanuelle Blais, Minnesota-Duluth, 6 Caitlin Hogan, St. Cloud State, 2 Kelli Blankenship, Minnesota, 1 Ellin Holmlov, Minnesota-Duluth, 1 Defense Holly Snyder, Minnesota State, 14 Michelle Maunu, Minnesota, 8 Ashley Lynch, North Dakota, 8 Rachel Davis, Ohio State, 6 Danielle Hirsch, St. Cloud, 6 Jaime Rasmussen, Minnesota-Duluth, 2 Sam Turner, North Dakota, 1 Goalie Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth, 23 Player of the Year Sara Bauer, Wisconsin, 19 Tessa Bonhomme, Ohio State, 2 Gigi Marvin, Minnesota, 1 Noemie Marin, UMD, 1 Rookie of the Year Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin, 18 Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State, 2 Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth, 2 Christina Lee, Minnesota State, 1 Coach of Year Mark Johnson, Wisconsin, 10 Jackie Barto, Ohio State, 7 Steve Sertich, Bemidji State, 5 Shannon Miller, UMD, 1 Defensive Player of the Year Meghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin, 17 Tessa Bonhomme, Ohio State, 10 Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth, 4 Shera Vis, Minnesota State, 3 Anya Miller, Minnesota, 2 Goalies Jessie Vetter, Wisconsin 40 1/2 Kim Martin, Minnesota-Duluth, 32 Christine Dufour, Wisconsin, 24 1/2 Erika Vanderveer, Ohio State, 18 Emily Brookshaw, Bemidji State, 11 Britni Kehler, Minnesota State, 4 Riitta Schaublin, Minnesota-Duluth, 2