The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Sterling Trophy Players of the Month for Septermber 2023 were announced by the league office today with the following players being honored: Forward of the Month - Lacey Eden (Wisconsin), Defender of the Month - Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin), Goaltender of the Month - Raygan Kirk (Ohio State) and Rookie of the Month - Cassie Hall (Wisconsin).
The WCHA is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24 and it will begin conference play on on the weekend of Oct. 12-14.
Sterling Trophy WCHA Forward of the Month:
Lacey Eden/Forward/Junior/Annapolis, Md.
In a record setting weekend sweep of Lindenwood on Sept. 28-29, Eden recorded five goals in the two games. She posted two goals in #1 Wisconsin’s 6-0 win at Lindenwood on Sept. 28, before recording her first collegiate hat trick in Wisconsin’s 16-1 win on Sept. 29 at Lindenwood. Her five goals led the WCHA last weekend and her five points were the second most in the league, only trailing linemate Britta Curl. Eden had 15 shots on goal in the series and was +4 on the plus/minus.
Sterling Trophy WCHA Defender of the Month:
Caroline Harvey/Defender/Sophomore/Salem, N.H.
The preseason WCHA Player of the Year, Harvey finished her weekend at Lindenwood with one goal and four assists for a total of five points. She recorded a five-point game in UW’s 16-1 win over Lindenwood on Sept. 29. In that contest, she scored her first goal of the season to give UW a 1-0 lead before adding four assists in the game. Harvey also set a school record with a +9 rating in that game. In the two-game set against Lindenwood, Harvey combined for six shots on target with two blocks and a lofty +11 on the plus/minus. Her defensive worked limited Lindenwood to just one goal and 22 shots on net in the two games.
Sterling Trophy WCHA Goaltender of the Month:
Raygan Kirk/Goaltender/Senior/Ste. Anne, Manitoba
Kirk earned the first win of the season in net for the #2 Buckeyes, making 31 saves on 33 shots faced in the 3-2 overtime win at Colgate (ranked #4 in the nation at that time) on Sept. 30. Her performance in goal helped keep the Buckeyes ahead of the Raiders and eventually helped the team earn its first win of the season in the top-five road matchup. Kirk played the entire contest against Colgate and recorded a .939 save rate and a 1.92 goals against average.
Sterling Trophy WCHA Rookie of the Month:
Cassie Hall/Forward/Freshman/South Lyon, Mich.
Hall became the seventh player in Wisconsin history to record four or more goals in a game thanks to her four-goal outing against Lindenwood on Sept. 29. She scored a goal in the first and second periods before adding two tallies in the third period in the 16-1 decision against Lindenwood. Hall was one of three Badgers to score a hat trick in the game, which was the first time in history Wisconsin had three players score a hat trick in a game. Hall ended the series with 12 shots on goal with one game winning goal to her credit and a +6 on the plus/minus.
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2023-24 Sterling Trophy Players of the Month Award Winners:
Sept. 2023:
Forward - Lacey Eden, Wisconsin
Defender - Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
Goalie - Raygan Kirk, Ohio State
Rookie - Cassie Hall, Wisconsin