The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24, announced on Monday, Dec. 4 its Sterling Trophy Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Players of the Week honors for games played during the week of Nov. 27 to Dec. 3.  

This week’s league award winners included Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy (Forward), Minnesota Duluth’s Ida Karlsson (Defnder) and St Cloud State’s Sanni Ahola (Defender) and Minnesota Ava Lindsay (Rookie).

The upcoming WCHA schedule will include a midweek game on Tuesday, Dec. 5 with #2 Minnesota playing at #8 St. Cloud State. Over the weekend, the WCHA schedule will feature #3 Wisconsin at #2 Minnesota, #6 Minnesota Duluth at #8 St. Cloud State, Bemidji State at St. Thomas and RV Minnesota State at #1 Ohio State.  All games can be viewed online through the B1G+ streaming service and the game Wisconsin at Minnesota game on Dec. 9 will be aired live on FOX9+ (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and TVW (Madison).
 

Sterling Trophy WCHA Forward of the Week:
Abbey Murphy/Minnesota/Forward/RS Junior/Evergreen Park, Ill.
Abbey Murphy, a resident of Evergreen Park, Ill., claimed her second consecutive WCHA Forward of the Week honor thanks to her eight point weekend in play against Bemidji State. Murphy dominated against Bemidji State this weekend, scoring four goals and adding four assists in two Gopher wins. Murphy’s eight points in the series is the most she’s ever scored in a series, as her previous record was six. Murphy scored or assisted eight of Minnesota’s 18 goals over the weekend.  She had two goals, one assists, five shots and was +2 in the 9-2 win on Dec. 1 and had two goals, three assists, seven shots and was +5 in the 9-1 win on Dec. 2.  Over the weekend, Murphy had 12 shots and was +7 on the plus/ minus.  This is Murphy’s third Forward of the Week award in 2023-24.

Others Nominated: Britta Curl, Wisconsin; Olivia Mobley, Ohio State and Sydney Langseth, Minnesota State.

Sterling Trophy WCHA Defender of the Week:
Ida Karlsson/Minnesota Duluth/Defense/First Year/Avesta, Sweden
A resident of Aversa Sweden, Ida Karlsson earned her first WCHA weekly award of the season as she figured in all three of UMD’s goals against No. 2 Wisconsin in the Bulldogs’ 3-2 upset win over the Badgers on Dec. 3 in Madison, Wisc.  She tied for the most points of any WCHA blueliner on the weekend and was part of a penalty kill unit that kept UW scoreless on eight attempts over the weekend .  Karlsson had four blocks in the series along with one shot on goal.  

Others Nominated: Cayla Barnes, Ohio State; JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota and Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin

Sterling Trophy WCHA Goaltender of the Week:
Sanni Ahola/St. Cloud State/Goaltender/Senior/Helsinki, Finland
Sanni Ahola gained her third WCHA Goaltender of the Week award thanks to her 46 save performance in St. Cloud State’s 2-1 victory at #1 ranked Ohio State on Dec. 1. She stopped 46-of-47 shots faced and helped the Huskies post a 3-of-3 effort in the penalty kill.  Ahola had a .979 save percentage in the game against OSU, which entered the game averaging 5.00 goals per game. She is now 7-1-0 on the season and has allowed only six goals this year.  

Others Nominated: Jane Gervais, Wisconsin; Lauren Barbro, Minnesota State; Hailey MacLeod, Minnesota Duluth and Lucy Morgan, MInnesota


Sterling Trophy WCHA Rookie of the Week:
Ava Lindsay/Minnesota/Forward/First Year/Minnetonka, Minn.
Ava Lindsay dazzled for the Gophers against Bemidji State, scoring twice on Friday and once on Saturday en route to a five-point weekend. Lindsay has been a constant force for Minnesota in just her first collegiate season.  She finished the weekend with three goals, two assists, five points, six shots on goal and was +5 on the plus/minus. This is the first WCHA Player of the Week that Lindsay has earned at Minnesota.   

Others Nominated:  JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Grace Henderson, St. Cloud State; Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Ève Gascon Minnesota Duluth; 

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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.

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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

Dec. 4:
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota/Defender - Ida Karlsson, Minnesota Duluth
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State/Rookie - Ava Lindsay, Minnesota