Wisconsin women's hockey passes out awards at team banquet
April 20, 2015 | Women's Hockey
April 20, 2015
MADISON, Wis. --- The University of Wisconsin women's hockey team held its annual end of the year banquet and awards ceremony at Heritage Hall on Sunday as the WCHA Final Face-Off champion Badgers honored their seniors and also handed out team accolades.
Five players earned individual awards for their performance during the 2014-15 season. Senior captain Blayre Turnbull was named the Offensive Player of the Year and was given the Badger Award, which is presented to the team's most inspiring player. Junior Courtney Burke was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while Annie Pankowski, the USCHO Rookie of the Year, earned team Rookie of the Year honors.
Two Badgers earned the Jeff Sauer Award, which is annually given to the most dedicated player. Senior Katarina Zgraja and sophomore Sydney McKibbon shared the honor.
Wisconsin also recognized its senior class, including Brittany Ammerman, Katy Josephs, Karley Sylvester, Turnbull and Zgraja.
Along with the awards ceremony, the Badgers and their guests enjoyed brunch, a photo slideshow and a highlight video that included behind the scenes footage of the season. Each senior reflected on their time at Wisconsin during the highlight video and gave thanks to those that helped them during their careers at Wisconsin. Head coach Mark Johnson also recapped the season and congratulated the Badgers on their performance on the ice, in the classroom and in the community. Â
Turnbull, a native of Stellarton, Nova Scotia, finished her Wisconsin career with 98 points, which ranks as the 20th most in program history. She also tied a UW school record with eight short-handed goals, and tallied a program-best five short-handed tallies last season. The Badger Award and Offensive Player of the Year recipient ranked fourth on UW this season with 36 points, and ended her senior season on a tear, scoring 14 points in her final 11 games for the Cardinal and White. She also enjoyed a career day on Senior Day on Feb. 7 against Minnesota Duluth, becoming the second player in program history to score three power play goals in a single game.
Burke, the team's defensive player of the year, led all UW defensemen with 24 points, while her 20 assists were the fifth-most among all UW skaters. Her 0.60 points per game average ranked 20th in the country among defensemen. The Albany, New York, native was named to the All-WCHA Third Team this season and had a team-best 12 power-play points.
Pankowski added another rookie of the year award to her collection on Sunday after being named the WCHA Rookie of the Year, the USCHO Rookie of the Year and the National Rookie of the Year. The Laguna Hills, California, native led UW with 21 goals and 43 points this season. Her 21 goals were the sixth most by a freshman skater in program history, while her 43 points were the seventh most. Her 1.10 points per game average was the best among rookie skaters in the NCAA and ranked 16th among all skaters in the nation.
Zgraja, an assistant captain for UW this season, was an instrumental member of UW's NCAA-record setting penalty kill unit, which killed 113 of its 118 opponent's power plays this year. She tallied six points, and scored goals in UW's WCHA Play-Off Championship win against Bemidji State and Wisconsin's NCAA quarterfinal triumph against Boston University. Her 151 blocked shots are the most in program history, and she led the team in blocks with 52 this season. She finished the season with a +23 plus/minus rating, and her career with a +74 plus/minus rating.
McKibbon, a sophomore center for the Badgers, recorded 10 goals and 16 assists during the season and was second on the team in power-play goals with three. She finished the season ranked third in the conference in face-off percentage with a .604 clip, which ranked 11th nationally. McKibbon appeared in every game for the Cardinal and White, and sported a +22 plus/minus rating for UW.
