O’Brien, Simms in top 3 for Kazmaier Award
MADISON – The three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award were announced Wednesday.
For the first time, two Wisconsin Badgers made the list for the award given annually to the top women’s hockey player in the country.
Senior Casey O’Brien and sophomore Kirsten Simms are joined on the list by Cornell’s Izzy Daniel. The winner will be announced March 23 at Frozen Four, held at Whittemore Center Arena on the campus of the University of New Hampshire on March 22 and 24.
O’Brien and Simms, two of the nation’s most prolific scorers, hope to be joined by their teammates at the ceremony. Wisconsin (33-5) will play the winner of St. Lawrence/Penn State at 2 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the national semifinals.
Simms, who was the WCHA forward and player of the year, leads the nation in scoring with 71 points (32 goals, 39 assists). Her 1.97 points per game average also ranks No. 1 in the country.
O’Brien, who was a finalist for WCHA forward of the year, is second in the country with 69 points and leads the NCAA with 47 assists.
Badgers sophomore defender Caroline
Harvey was one of the 10 finalists revealed last week.
Five Wisconsin players have won the award: Sara Bauer (2006), Jessie Vetter (2009), Meghan Duggan (2011), Brianna Decker (2012) and Ann-Renee Desbiens (2017).
“Both have had great seasons,” UW coach Mark Johnson said. “Both have been consistent in their play. Both of them have helped win a bunch of games and put us in the position we’re in right now. I’m excited for both. They’ve earned it.”