Patty Kazmaier Top 30 Announced: What The Hell?

Though this isn’t a gender specific blog, there is much more men’s college hockey talk than women’s here. Much of that comes from the fact that men’s games are much more available for viewing, but I’ll admit that part of it is because North Dakota traditionally hasn’t been very good.

That all changed with the addition of the Lamoureux twins, who have helped vault the Sioux into third in the WCHA and a top 5 national ranking. Both Monique and Jocelyne were named to the list of the 30 nominees for the Patty Kazmaier award, which goes to the top women’s player in the country. Both are fine candidates, and at this point Jocelyne Lamoureux appears to be the favorite for the award, leading the nation in both goals and points.

But one big name was left off the top 30 list: North Dakota’s Michelle Karvinen, who is 6th in the WCHA in points per game, 4th in the WCHA in points per conference game, and 9th in the nation in points per game, was left off the list. Karvinen also ranks 16th nationally in goals per game and while she shouldn’t win the award, she should absolutely be recognized for the season she’s having and be recognized for her role in elevating the UND program.