Lara Stalder is officially one of the best players in NCAA Division I women's hockey.
The University of Minnesota Duluth senior forward was named a top-10 finalist for the 2016-17 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented annually to the top player in the nation. The native of Luzern, Switzerland currently leads the No. 2 Bulldogs with 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points -- all team-highs. Stalder ranks second in the NCAA in points per game at 1.66, third in goals per game with 22 in 32 games, and fourth in assists per game. The senior forward also owns the nation's most game-winning goals (7), and ranks second in the WCHA for points (47), goals (20) and third in the league with 28 assists.
Stalder also earned the first-ever Women's Hockey Association Player of the Month for January 2017, and was named the WCHA's Offensive Player of the Month for January 2017. Four-times the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week this season, Stalder won the weekly award on Jan. 31, Jan. 24, Jan. 17 and Oct. 11. Stalder was also named a 2016-17 WCHA Scholar Athlete, and carries a 3.719 Cumulative GPA as a Retail Marketing Analytics major.
As a program, UMD has had ten top-10 Patty Kazmaier finalists, and Haley Irwin was the last Bulldog to make the impressive list in the 2010-11 season. UMD has had five top-3 finalists, with goaltender Kim Martin garnering the most recent honor during the 2007-08 season.
The award selection process begins in February, when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey head coaches are asked to nominate players for the award. Players who are nominated by two or more coaches are then placed on an official ballot, which is sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. An independent accounting firm tabulates the ballots.
The three finalists, as well as the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, are chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey head coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, at-large members and representatives of USA Hockey.
