University of Minnesota Athletics
Seven Golden Gophers to Participate at the USA Hockey Festival
8/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Participants in the festival are divided into three teams (Red and White and Under-22) that will take part in daily practices and compete in a round-robin tournament at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Darwitz, Stephens and Wall were selected as members of USA's Under-22 Team. Following the festival, the U.S. Under-22 Team will host a three-game exhibition series against Canada's Under-22 Team, Aug. 25-28. The first two games on Aug. 25-26 will be held at the Olympic Center. The third and final game on Aug. 28, will be played at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt.
Brodt holds the school record for goals (41), assists (93) and points (134) by a defenseman. In 2002-03, Brodt ranked third on the team in points, notching 39 in her senior season. In her tenure with Minnesota, Brodt was named the 2000 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year and a top-10 finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award.
After leading the team in points her freshman season (68), Darwitz finished her sophomore campaign with 64 points, ranking second on the team. For the second straight season, Darwitz was named an All-American and a Patty Kazmaier finalist, an award given to the top women's college hockey player. Darwitz finished the first half of the 2003-04 season as the nation's leading scorer, averaging 2.56 points per game. For the second consecutive year, Darwitz earned a spot on the All-WCHA First Team, scoring 40 points against conference opponents. She went on to earn spots on both the Final Five and Frozen Four All-Tournament teams.
Horak finished the 2003-04 season with a 22-4-2 record. In 28 games played, Horak held a 1.63 goals against average. A two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, Horak ranked third in the WCHA in GAA and save percentage (.929) and second in winning percentage (.821). Earning spots on the WCHA Final Five and Frozen Four All-Tournament teams, Horak allowed just three goals in each championship series. Horak tied the NCAA record for allowing the fewest goals in a NCAA championship game, set at two.
McKenzie signed a National Letter of Intent in the early signing period and will start her Gopher career in the fall of 2004. This past February, McKenzie earned her second straight Metro Hockey Player of the Year honor, awarded by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. McKenzie was also named a Let's Play Hockey Ms. Hockey honoree, which is given to the top Minnesota senior high school player. In her senior season alone, McKenzie had 68 goals and 22 assists for 90 points. She finished her five-year varsity career with 362 points.
Stephens finished her junior season with 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points, ranking second on the team. With her 42 assists, Stephens, along with Wendell, broke the school record for most assists in a single season. Stephens also held the team's highest plus/minus rating of +57, which also broke a school record. Stephens earned spots on both the WCHA Final Five and NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament teams. In four post-season games, Stephens tallied eight points, including three in the NCAA National Championship. Stephens has 142 career points, ranking sixth all-time in 106 games played.
In just 18 games played with the Golden Gophers, Wall tallied 21 points. As a defenseman, Wall earned all six of her goals on the power play. She led the blue liners in points despite sitting out the second half of the season and earned multiple points in six contests.
Wendell finished the 2003-04 season with 36 goals and 42 assists for 78 points, breaking the school record for most points in a single season. The WCHA Player of the Year, Wendell led the WCHA in overall points and short- handed goals (6) and tied for first in goal scoring and was second in power- play scoring (25). She ranked third in the nation in points per game (2.17) and goals per game (1.00). Like Darwitz, Wendell earned her second All- American award in two years and was a Patty Kazmaier finalist. She went on to earn a spot on the WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team. Wendell led the Maroon and Gold to the NCAA National Championship, scoring four goals and four assists for eight points. For her performance, Wendell was named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player.
2004 USA Hockey Women's Festival Competition Schedule Sunday, Aug. 15 -- Practice Monday, Aug. 16 -- Practice Tuesday, Aug. 17 7 p.m. Under-22 vs. Red Wednesday, Aug. 18 7 p.m. Under-22 vs. White Thursday, Aug. 19 7 p.m. White vs. Red Friday, Aug. 20 7 p.m. Under-22 vs. Red Saturday, Aug. 21 Noon Under-22 vs. White Sunday, Aug. 22 2 p.m. White vs. Red 2004 U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team Competition Schedule Aug. 25 7:00 p.m. USA vs. Canada Aug. 26 7:00 p.m. USA vs. Canada Aug. 28 1:00 p.m. USA vs. Canada
