Loren Gabel of Kitchener, Ontario has won the 2019 Patty Kazmaier Award as the best women’s university hockey player in the United States. While playing as a forward for Clarkson University, Gabel had 40 goals and 29 assists for 69 points in 38 games this past season.
Remarkably, Gabel had fewer points in 2018-19 than she did in 2017-18. Last season, Gabel had 36 goals and 39 assists for 75 points in 41 games, but saw Daryl Watts of Toronto, Ontario win the award as Watts had 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points in 38 games with Boston College.
Gabel becomes the eighth Canadian to win the Patty Kazmaier Award. The other six were forward Jennifer Botterill of Ottawa, Ontario, who won the award twice with Harvard in 2001 and 2003, forward Sara Bauer of St. Catharines, Ontario, who won with the University of Wisconsin in 2006, forward Sarah Vallaincourt of Sherbrooke, Quebec, who won the award with Harvard in 2008, forward Vicki Bendus of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, who won the award with Mercyhurst in 2010, forward Jamie Lee Rattray of Kanata, Ontario, who won the award with Clarkson University in 2014, and goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, who won the award with Wisconsin in 2017.
Botterill and Vallaincourt are Canadian Olympic gold medalists. Botterill won at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Vallaincourt won gold at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
