University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER WOMEN'S HOCKEY AWARDS PRESENTED AT 2ND ANNUAL BANQUET
4/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The Gophers, who finished 29-4-3 and third at the American Women's College Hockey Alliance Championship, presented awards for highest plus/minus rating, highest grade point average, most improved player, unsung hero, most valuable player and the GWH (Gopher Women's Hockey) Award.
Plus/Minus Award-Given to the player with the best plus/minus rating at season's end.
Winny Brodt, 5-5, Sophomore, Center, Roseville, Minn. (Roseville Area)
Brodt tied for the team lead in plus/minus rating (+52). Playing defense for national champion New Hampshire last season, she was named the most valuable player at the AWCHA Championship in 1998. Midway through her first season at Minnesota, Brodt was moved to center where she scored 36 points in the team's final 23 games, including a team-high 26 assists. On the season, she finished with 14 goals and 45 points in 34 games. Nationally, she finished ninth in assists (31) and tied for 15th in points (45).
Jenny Schmidgall, 5-3, Frosh, Center, Edina, Minn. (Edina)
Tied for the team lead in plus/minus rating (+52), Schmidgall finished in the top five nationally in goals, assists and points, setting school records with 33 goals, 38 assists and 71 points. She was fourth in goals and points and tied for fifth in assists. Her nine power-play goals also set a school record. A member of the 1998 U.S. Women's National Team which won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics, she also competed on the 1999 national team that won a silver medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. She was the leading scorer at that tournament with 12 points and was named the Most Outstanding Forward. Schmidgall was also recently named an AWCHA second-team All-American.
Highest GPA Award-Given to the player with the highest grade point average during the previous spring, fall and winter quarters.
Angela Borek, 5-10, Sophomore, Defense, Burnsville, Minn. (Burnsville)
Borek posted a 3.80 grade point average during the past year. She set career-highs in assists (8), points (9) and plus/minus rating (+45). In seven games against teams that participated in the AWCHA Championship, she tied for the team lead with a plus/minus rating of +10.
Most Improved Player Award-Given to the played who has, over the past season or from last season to this season, shown the most improvement on the ice.
Erica Killewald, 5-10, Sophomore, Goalie, Troy, Mich. (Troy)
After recording 18 wins, five shutouts, a 2.21 goals against average and a .903 save percentage a year ago, Killewald was expected to be one of the Gophers' mainstays in 1998-99. She surpassed all expectations by leading the nation in goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.947) while finishing second in shutouts (7).
Unsung Hero Award-Given to the player who has made a significant contribution to the success of the team, on and off the ice, without receiving a great deal of attention or publicity for her efforts
Laura Slominski, 5-3, Frosh, Right Wing, Burnsville, Minn. (Burnsville)
A year after earning the Ms. Hockey Award as the top senior high school player in Minnesota, Slominski scored 32 points in 34 games for the Gophers. She was second amongst the team's rookies in assists (22) and plus/minus rating (+39). Slominski had six multiple-point games during a seven-game stretch in the middle of the season, including a goal and an assist against two-time Canadian national-champion Concordia to help Minnesota to the High Peaks Hockey Classic title.
Most Valuable Player Award-Given to the player who has made a tremendous individual contribution to the program through her talent, attitude, and hard work, both on an off the ice, in order to help the team achieve success.
Erica Killewald, 5-10, Sophomore, Goalie, Troy, Mich. (Troy)
A two-time Minnesota Women's Athletics Athlete of the Month, Killewald posted a 19-4-3 record on the season and, against ranked teams, had a 1.54 goals against average and a .954 save percentage. She was named to the AWCHA Championship all-tournament team after stopping 40 shots in a 3-2 overtime semifinal loss to New Hampshire and 41 shots in a 3-2 win over Brown in the third-place game.
GWH Award-Given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities expressed in the Gopher Women's Hockey Creed, which states "I will represent myself, the team, and the University of Minnesota with class, integrity, honesty, dependability, responsibility, a positive attitude, an unselfish and 'team-first' attitude, accountability, a strong work ethic, loyalty, an appreciation for privileges, and an awareness of my role as a member of Gopher Women's Hockey."
Shannon Kennedy, 5-10, Junior, Left Wing, Woburn, Mass. (Buckingham Browne & Nichols)
A transfer from Colby College, Kennedy entered the season as the most experienced collegiate player on a team with 21 underclass student-athletes. She proceeded to set career highs with 24 assists, 37 points and a plus/minus rating of +45. Kennedy tied for 12th nationally in game-winning goals (4) and 18th in assists.
