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The 2014-15 WCHA postseason awards were handed out on Wednesday and Hannah Brandt was named the WCHA Player of the Year, and Rachel Ramsey was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season!
Brandt is a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist for the third consecutive season and led the WCHA in scoring with 50 points (21g, 29a). She is second in the nation with 67 points on the season. She now ties former Gopher Krissy Wendell and former Badger Sara Bauer as the only other two time winners of the award. Brandt will have an opportunity to be the first player to win three Player of the Year Awards next season.
Ramsey is also a Patty Kazmaier Award Finalist for the first time in her career. The senior leads the WCHA and ranks second in the nation in points by a defenseman with 31 (8g, 23a). She joins former Gopher Rhonda Curtin and former Badger Molly Engstrom as the only other two-time winners of the award. She has anchored the Gopher defense that has allowed the fourth least goals in the nation.
Four Gophers were named to the First Team All-WCHA. Besides Brandt and Ramsey, Dani Cameranesi and Lee Stecklein were named to the first team. Cameranesi is the second leading scorer in the WCHA behind Brandt, and is fourth in the nation with 62 points (23g, 39a). She also is a Patty Kazmaier Finalist. Stecklein is playing her sophmore season after missing the 2013-14 season with the US Olympic Team. She also is a main anchor on the outstanding Gopher defense and has recorded 25 points (4g, 21a) on the season.
Junior defenseman Milica McMillen was named to the Second Team All-WCHA. Along with playing as Ramsey's defensive partner for most of the season she has scored 25 points (10g,15a). McMillen is second in the WCHA and seventh in the nation in power-play goals with seven.
Senior co-captain Rachael Bona was named to the Third Team All-WCHA. She ranks fifth in the WCHA with 36 points.
Two Gopher freshmen were named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team. Kelly Pannek leads the WCHA and the nation rookies with 37 points (13g,29a). Defenseman Sydney Baldwin was laos named to the team. She has 11 points on the season. Pannek was not named WCHA Rookie of the Year even though she leads the nation's freshmen in coring. That award went to Wisconsin freshman Annie Pankowski.
Additionally fourteen Gophers were named to the WCHA All-Academic Team. To qualify student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at their present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a GPA of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters. The fourteen Gophers honored were Bona, Brandt, Cameranesi, McMillen, Ramsey, Stecklein, Sidney peters, Kelsey Cline, Kate Flug, Paige Hailey, Kate Schipper, Maryanne Menefee, Meghan Lorence and Shyler Sletta.
The Gophers will be back in action Saturday afternoon in the WCHA Final Faceoff Semifinal against Bemidji State. A Full WCHA Final Faceoff Preview will be on The Daily Gopher on Friday.