The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24, announced on Monday, Nov. 27 its Sterling Trophy Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Players of the Week honors for games played during the week of Nov. 20-26.  

This week’s league award winners included Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy (Forward), Minnesota Duluth’s Hailey MacLeod (Goaltender) and Ohio State’s Hadley Hartmetz (Defender) and Jocelyn Amos (Rookie).

The WCHA schedule will return to league play this weekend as #10 St. Cloud State will travel to #1 Ohio State, Bemidji State will play at #3 Minnesota, #6 Minnesota Duluth will travel to #2 Wisconsin and RV St. Thomas and RV Minnesota State will play a home-home series. 

Sterling Trophy WCHA Forward of the Week:
Abbey Murphy/Minnesota/Forward/RS Junior/Evergreen Park, Ill.
Abbey Murphy, a resident of Evergreen Park, Ill., continued her scorching start to the year by scoring three goals over the weekend of Nov. 24-25, one of which was her 50th career goal. Murphy scored once in Minnesota’s 3-1 win versus Harvard on Friday and twice in the Gophers’ 5-1 win versus No. 8 Cornell on Saturday. Murphy’s 2023-24 point total rises to 23 after this weekend’s action, which includes 15 goals.  This is Murphy’s second WCHA Forward of the Week award she has received in 2023-24.  Her weekend stat line included 16 shots on goal, one blocked shot, one assist, four points and +2 on the plus/minus. 

Others Nominated: Makenna Webster, Ohio State; Sydney Langseth, Minnesota State; Olivia Wallin Minnesota Duluth

Sterling Trophy WCHA Defender of the Week:
Hadley Hartmetz/Ohio State/Defense/Graduate Student/Phoenixville, Pa.
Ohio State’s Hadley Hartmetz led the team with four assists, good to tie for the team lead in points, in the sweep of #6 St. Lawrence.  She finished the weekend with a team-high +7 on ice and was credited with three of the Buckeyes’ 15 blocked shots on the weekend.. Hartmetz helped the Buckeyes hold the Saints to just one goal and 24 shots on goal in the series.  She also had seven shots on goal and notched three assists in the 11-0 win over SLU on Nov. 24 and one assist in the 5-1 win over the Saints on Nov. 25.  This is her second WCHA Defender of the Week award in 2023-24.

Others Nominated: Charlotte Akervik, Minnesota State; Hanna Baskin, Minnesota Duluth; Madeline Wethington, Minnesota

Sterling Trophy WCHA Goaltender of the Week:
Hailey MacLeod/Minnesota Duluth/Goaltender/Sophomore/Abbotsford, B.C.
Minnesota Duluth’s Hailey MacLeod played more than 124 minutes of shutout hockey against the NCAA’s second ranked team (Colgate) with the second ranked offense. MacLeod earned a shutout and tie in her first two career games against a ranked opponent, and made 66 saves in the process. Currently, MacLeod leads ithe NCAA with a .973 saves percentage and a ranks second with a 0.65 GAA.  In the 3-0 win over Colgate, MacLeod had 29 saves.  She finished the weekend with 37 saves in the 1-1 tie against Colgate in game two of the series.  On the weekend, MacLeod made 66 saves and posted a 0.48 GAA and a .985 save percentage.

Others Nominated: Raygan Kirk, Ohio State; Skylar Vetter, Minnesota; Lauren Barbro, Minnesota State

Sterling Trophy WCHA Rookie of the Week:
Jocelyn Amos/Ohio State/Forward/First Year/Ailsa Craig, Ontario
Jocelyn Amos tied for the team lead in goals (3) and points (4) in the Buckeyes’ series against #6 St. Lawrence on Nov. 24-25.  Amos tallied two goals and one assist in Friday’s 11-0 win to help the team record a program-record 11 goals in the game.  She also scored the team’s game-winning goal, a shorthanded goal, in Saturday’s 5-1 win. The short-handed goal is her first of her career and the Buckeyes’ second of the season.  This is Amos’ second Rookie of the Week honor in 2023-24.  

Others Nominated:  JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Grace Sadure, Minnesota Duluth; Ava Lindsay, Minnesota and Maddie Brown, St. Thomas

---

ABOUT THE WCHA:
Founded in 1999, the women’s league of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has positioned itself as the top conference in all of women’s collegiate hockey and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023-24.  The WCHA has won an unprecedented 20 national championships while finishing as the national runner-up nine times since 1999.  The league has produced nine Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners as well an additional 24 student-athletes who were among the Top-3 finalists for the award.  In addition, WCHA student-athletes have been recognized as All-Americans 121 times in league history.

ABOUT STERLING TROPHY:
Sterling Trophy has grown into a leader in the award and recognition industry in the Twin Cities since its founding in 1999. A family business that started in the basement of the home of founders David Steinbring and Patty Steinbring, Sterling Trophy has built a proud tradition of quality service and unique products. For more information, visit sterlingtrophy.net.
 

2023-24 Sterling Trophy WCHA Players of the Week:

Sept. 25: 
Forward - Emma Gentry, SCSU/Defender - Ella Anick, SCSU
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, SCSU/Rookie - Sofianna Sundelin, SCSU

Oct. 2: 
Forward - Lacey Eden, Wisconsin/Defender - Caroline Harvery, Wisconsin
Goalie - Raygan Kirk, Ohio State/Rookie - Cassie Hall, Wisconsin

Oct. 9:
Forward - Jamie Nelson, Minnesota State/Defender - Jayden Seifert, Minnesota State
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State/Rookie - Ella Boerger, St. Thomas

Oct. 16:
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota/Defender - Hadley Hartmetz, Ohio State
Goalie - Raygan Kirk, Ohio State/Rookie - Alice Sauriol, SCSU

Oct. 23:
Forward - Klára Hymlárová, SCSU/Defender - Anna Wilgren, Wisconsin
Goalie - Abbie Thompson, Bemidji State/Rookie - Ève Gascon Minnesota Duluth

Oct. 30:
Forward - Jennifer Gardiner, Ohio State/Defender - Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota
Goalie - Jojo Chobak, St. Cloud State/Rookie - Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State

Nov. 6:
Forward - Reece Hunt, Minnesota Duluth/Defender - Emma Peschel, Ohio State
Goalie - Eve Gascon, Minnesota Duluth/Rookie - Joy Dunne, Ohio State

Nov. 13:
Forward - Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas/Defender - Nicole Vallario, St. Thomas
Goalie - Calla Frank, St. Thomas/Rookie - Ella Boerger, St. Thomas

Nov. 20:
Forward - Jennifer Gardiner, Ohio State/Defender - Khloe Lund, Bemidji State
Goalie - Raygan Kirk, Ohio State/Rookie - Hailey Armstrong, Bemidji State

Nov. 27:
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota/Defender - Hadley Hartmetz, Ohio State
Goalie - Hailey MacLeod, Minnesota Duluth/Rookie - Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State