University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Earn WCHA Honors; Frost Coach of the Year
3/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
The University of Minnesota was well represented in the post-season Western Collegiate Hockey Association awards, announced today by the conference office. The Golden Gophers placed three student-athletes on the All-WCHA First Team, while garnering some of the conference’s top awards this season.
Gopher senior defenseman Melanie Gagnon (St. Adolphe, Man.) was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, while Gigi Marvin (Warroad, Minn.) was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year. Monique Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) received the WCHA Rookie of the Year honors and head coach Brad Frost was named co-coach of the year with Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson.
Gagnon and both Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) and Monique Lamoureux were named to the All-WCHA first-team, while Marvin, Rachael Drazan (Orono, Minn.) and Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.) were second-team selections. Monique Lamoureux was also the WCHA scoring champion and Alyssa Grogan (Eagan, Minn.) earned the WCHA goaltending championship. Lamoureux tallied 61 points in conference competition, while Grogan held a league-best 1.37 goals against average to win the award.
The 2008-09 season marked the second year in a row that Frost has received coach of the year honors. Last year, Frost held a 27-7-4 as the Gophers’ interim head coach. In just his second year, Frost and the Golden Gophers brought home their first WCHA regular season championship since 2005 with a 23-2-3 record in conference action. Heading into the WCHA FINAL FACEOFF, Frost has led the team to an impressive 30-3-3 overall mark.
Gagnon is the first defensive player of the year since Ronda Curtin received the honor in 2003. A senior co-captain, Gagnon is having one of her best seasons with the Gophers. She leads the blue liners in points with 26, including team’s fourth-best assists (22). A Patty Kazmaier nominee, Gagnon ranks second in the WCHA and eighth nationally in points by a defenseman. A member of the Gopher power play and penalty kill units, Gagnon had 10 of 26 points with the extra attacker, including four goals during the power play.
Jocelyne Lamoureux ranks second on the team in points (61), goals (26) and assists (35) and is ninth in the nation in points per game (1.69). A Patty Kazmaier nominee, Lamoureux, has 19 multiple-point games, nine multiple assist games and seven multiple-goal games. Of her 61 points, a team-best 17 have come during the power play. She also leads the team with the best plus/minus rating of +55. In conference games alone, she had 49 points, ranking third in the WCHA in points and assists (26) and goals (24).
Monique Lamoureux is the first Gopher to earn the rookie of the year award since Marvin accomplished the feat in 2006. A Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalist, Lamoureux was the first Minnesota player since 2005 to have over 60 points in a single season, leading the team with 71 points in 36 games. In conference games, she led every scoring category in points (61), goals (30), assists (31) and ranks third in the nation in points per game (1.97). During her freshman campaign, Lamoureux was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week twice and the WCHA Rookie of the Week four times.
A Gopher co-captain, Marvin is a 2009 top-10 Patty Kazmaier finalist, her second-straight honor. With 49 points this season, Marvin ranks 17th nationally in points per game (1.44). The senior forward enters this weekend with 187 points in 148 games, ranking sixth in school history in points, goals (82) and assists (105). A three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete (grade point average of 3.5 or higher), Marvin will graduate in four years this spring with a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies and a minor in mass communications.
Drazan has played in 30 games during her senior year, missing six to an injury. During her senior campaign, Drazan ranks 10th on the team in scoring and third by defensemen with four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. She owns a plus/minus rating of +19 and was a Hockey Humanitarian Award nominee. It is the second-straight year Drazan has earned all-conference honors, receiving first-team accolades as a junior.
In her rookie campaign, Schleper has played in all 36 games for the Golden Gophers. She ranks eighth on the team in scoring, second among defensemen with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points. A member of the Gopher power play, Schleper enters this weekend with 12 power-play points, including four goals. She is tied for third in the conference in points by a defenseman and tied for 12th in the nation. Along with her second-team honors, she is also a member of the All-WCHA rookie team.
Along with the on-ice awards, Minnesota had nine student-athletes on the All-WCHA Academic Team. To qualify, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters. Minnesota had nine honorees in Kelli Blankenship (Lusby, Md.); Drazan, Brittany Francis (Thunder Bay, Ont); Gagnon, Marvin, Michelle Maunu (Esko, Minn.); Terra Rasmussen (Coon Rapids, Minn.); Dagney Willey (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Alexandra Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.).
2008-09 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Melanie Gagnon, Senior, Defenseman, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Rookie of the Year
Monique Lamoureux, Freshman, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 Turfer WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Gigi Marvin, Senior, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Co-Coach of the Year
Brad Frost, Head Coach, Minnesota and Mark Johnson, Head Coach, Wisconsin
2008-09 WCHA Scoring Champion
Monique Lamoureux, Freshman, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Goaltending Champion
Alyssa Grogan, Freshman, Goaltender, Minnesota
2008-09 All-WCHA First Team
Forwards Hilary Knight, So., F, Wisconsin (Hanover, NH)
Monique Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Jocelyne Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Defense Melanie Gagnon, Sr., D, Minnesota (St. Adolphe, MB)
Jocelyne Larocque, So., D, Minnesota Duluth (Winnipeg, MB)
Goaltender Jessie Vetter, Sr., G, Wisconsin (Cottage Grove, WI)
2008-09 All-WCHA Second Team
Forwards Gigi Marvin, Sr., F, Minnesota (Warroad, MN)
Erika Lawler, Sr., F, Wisconsin (Fitchburg, MA)
Elin Holmlov, Jr., F, Minnesota Duluth (Knivsta, Sweden)
Defense Rachael Drazan, Sr., D, Minnesota (Orono, MN)
Anne Schleper, Fr., D, Minnesota (St. Cloud, MN)
Goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova, Fr., Bemidji State (Bratislava, Slovakia)
2008-09 All-WCHA Third Team
Forwards Meghan Duggan, Jr., F, Wisconsin (Danvers, MA)
Haley Irwin, So., F, Minnesota Duluth (Thunder Bay, ON)
Brooke Ammerman, Fr., F, Wisconsin (River Vale, NJ)
Defense Alycia Matthews, Sr., F, Wisconsin (Castlegar, BC)
Jaime Rasmussen, Jr., F, Minnesota Duluth (Garden Grove, CA)
Goaltender Kim Martin, Jr., G, Minnesota Duluth (Stockholm, Sweden)
2008-09 All-WCHA Rookie Team
Forwards Monique Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Jocelyne Lamoureux, Fr, F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Brooke Ammerman, Fr., F, Wisconsin (River Vale, NJ)
Defense Anne Schleper, Fr., D, Minnesota (St. Cloud, MN)
Brittany Haverstock, Fr., D, Wisconsin (Halifax, NS)
Goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova, Fr., G, Bemidji State (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Minnesota’s 2008-09 All-WCHA Academic Team
Kelli Blankenship (Jr., F, Lusby, MD); Rachael Drazan (Sr., D, Orono, MN); Brittany Francis (Jr., F, Thunder Bay, ON); Melanie Gagnon (Sr., D, St. Adolphe, MB); Gigi Marvin (Sr., F, Warroad, MN); Michelle Maunu (Jr., D, Esko, MN); Terra Rasmussen (So., F, Coon Rapids, MN); Dagney Willey (Sr., D, Maple Grove, MN); Alexandra Zebro (Jr., D, Oak Grove, MN).
Gopher senior defenseman Melanie Gagnon (St. Adolphe, Man.) was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, while Gigi Marvin (Warroad, Minn.) was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year. Monique Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) received the WCHA Rookie of the Year honors and head coach Brad Frost was named co-coach of the year with Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson.
Gagnon and both Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) and Monique Lamoureux were named to the All-WCHA first-team, while Marvin, Rachael Drazan (Orono, Minn.) and Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.) were second-team selections. Monique Lamoureux was also the WCHA scoring champion and Alyssa Grogan (Eagan, Minn.) earned the WCHA goaltending championship. Lamoureux tallied 61 points in conference competition, while Grogan held a league-best 1.37 goals against average to win the award.
The 2008-09 season marked the second year in a row that Frost has received coach of the year honors. Last year, Frost held a 27-7-4 as the Gophers’ interim head coach. In just his second year, Frost and the Golden Gophers brought home their first WCHA regular season championship since 2005 with a 23-2-3 record in conference action. Heading into the WCHA FINAL FACEOFF, Frost has led the team to an impressive 30-3-3 overall mark.
Gagnon is the first defensive player of the year since Ronda Curtin received the honor in 2003. A senior co-captain, Gagnon is having one of her best seasons with the Gophers. She leads the blue liners in points with 26, including team’s fourth-best assists (22). A Patty Kazmaier nominee, Gagnon ranks second in the WCHA and eighth nationally in points by a defenseman. A member of the Gopher power play and penalty kill units, Gagnon had 10 of 26 points with the extra attacker, including four goals during the power play.
Jocelyne Lamoureux ranks second on the team in points (61), goals (26) and assists (35) and is ninth in the nation in points per game (1.69). A Patty Kazmaier nominee, Lamoureux, has 19 multiple-point games, nine multiple assist games and seven multiple-goal games. Of her 61 points, a team-best 17 have come during the power play. She also leads the team with the best plus/minus rating of +55. In conference games alone, she had 49 points, ranking third in the WCHA in points and assists (26) and goals (24).
Monique Lamoureux is the first Gopher to earn the rookie of the year award since Marvin accomplished the feat in 2006. A Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalist, Lamoureux was the first Minnesota player since 2005 to have over 60 points in a single season, leading the team with 71 points in 36 games. In conference games, she led every scoring category in points (61), goals (30), assists (31) and ranks third in the nation in points per game (1.97). During her freshman campaign, Lamoureux was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week twice and the WCHA Rookie of the Week four times.
A Gopher co-captain, Marvin is a 2009 top-10 Patty Kazmaier finalist, her second-straight honor. With 49 points this season, Marvin ranks 17th nationally in points per game (1.44). The senior forward enters this weekend with 187 points in 148 games, ranking sixth in school history in points, goals (82) and assists (105). A three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete (grade point average of 3.5 or higher), Marvin will graduate in four years this spring with a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies and a minor in mass communications.
Drazan has played in 30 games during her senior year, missing six to an injury. During her senior campaign, Drazan ranks 10th on the team in scoring and third by defensemen with four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. She owns a plus/minus rating of +19 and was a Hockey Humanitarian Award nominee. It is the second-straight year Drazan has earned all-conference honors, receiving first-team accolades as a junior.
In her rookie campaign, Schleper has played in all 36 games for the Golden Gophers. She ranks eighth on the team in scoring, second among defensemen with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points. A member of the Gopher power play, Schleper enters this weekend with 12 power-play points, including four goals. She is tied for third in the conference in points by a defenseman and tied for 12th in the nation. Along with her second-team honors, she is also a member of the All-WCHA rookie team.
Along with the on-ice awards, Minnesota had nine student-athletes on the All-WCHA Academic Team. To qualify, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters. Minnesota had nine honorees in Kelli Blankenship (Lusby, Md.); Drazan, Brittany Francis (Thunder Bay, Ont); Gagnon, Marvin, Michelle Maunu (Esko, Minn.); Terra Rasmussen (Coon Rapids, Minn.); Dagney Willey (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Alexandra Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.).
2008-09 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Melanie Gagnon, Senior, Defenseman, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Rookie of the Year
Monique Lamoureux, Freshman, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 Turfer WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Gigi Marvin, Senior, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Co-Coach of the Year
Brad Frost, Head Coach, Minnesota and Mark Johnson, Head Coach, Wisconsin
2008-09 WCHA Scoring Champion
Monique Lamoureux, Freshman, Forward, Minnesota
2008-09 WCHA Goaltending Champion
Alyssa Grogan, Freshman, Goaltender, Minnesota
2008-09 All-WCHA First Team
Forwards Hilary Knight, So., F, Wisconsin (Hanover, NH)
Monique Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Jocelyne Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Defense Melanie Gagnon, Sr., D, Minnesota (St. Adolphe, MB)
Jocelyne Larocque, So., D, Minnesota Duluth (Winnipeg, MB)
Goaltender Jessie Vetter, Sr., G, Wisconsin (Cottage Grove, WI)
2008-09 All-WCHA Second Team
Forwards Gigi Marvin, Sr., F, Minnesota (Warroad, MN)
Erika Lawler, Sr., F, Wisconsin (Fitchburg, MA)
Elin Holmlov, Jr., F, Minnesota Duluth (Knivsta, Sweden)
Defense Rachael Drazan, Sr., D, Minnesota (Orono, MN)
Anne Schleper, Fr., D, Minnesota (St. Cloud, MN)
Goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova, Fr., Bemidji State (Bratislava, Slovakia)
2008-09 All-WCHA Third Team
Forwards Meghan Duggan, Jr., F, Wisconsin (Danvers, MA)
Haley Irwin, So., F, Minnesota Duluth (Thunder Bay, ON)
Brooke Ammerman, Fr., F, Wisconsin (River Vale, NJ)
Defense Alycia Matthews, Sr., F, Wisconsin (Castlegar, BC)
Jaime Rasmussen, Jr., F, Minnesota Duluth (Garden Grove, CA)
Goaltender Kim Martin, Jr., G, Minnesota Duluth (Stockholm, Sweden)
2008-09 All-WCHA Rookie Team
Forwards Monique Lamoureux, Fr., F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Jocelyne Lamoureux, Fr, F, Minnesota (Grand Forks, ND)
Brooke Ammerman, Fr., F, Wisconsin (River Vale, NJ)
Defense Anne Schleper, Fr., D, Minnesota (St. Cloud, MN)
Brittany Haverstock, Fr., D, Wisconsin (Halifax, NS)
Goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova, Fr., G, Bemidji State (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Minnesota’s 2008-09 All-WCHA Academic Team
Kelli Blankenship (Jr., F, Lusby, MD); Rachael Drazan (Sr., D, Orono, MN); Brittany Francis (Jr., F, Thunder Bay, ON); Melanie Gagnon (Sr., D, St. Adolphe, MB); Gigi Marvin (Sr., F, Warroad, MN); Michelle Maunu (Jr., D, Esko, MN); Terra Rasmussen (So., F, Coon Rapids, MN); Dagney Willey (Sr., D, Maple Grove, MN); Alexandra Zebro (Jr., D, Oak Grove, MN).
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