The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Sterling Trophy Players of the Month for December 2023 were announced by the league office today with the following players being honored:  Forward of the Month - Abbey Murphy (Minnesota), Defender of the Month - Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin), Goaltender of the Month - Sanni Ahola (St. Cloud State) and Rookie of the Month - Ava Lindsay (Minnesota).

The WCHA is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24 and teams in the conference will return to play on Jan. 5-6 with Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and Wisconsin playing games against non-conference opponents.  

Make plans now to attend the 2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff championship, which will take place at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on March 8-9.  The Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff caps the league’s postseason tournament with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA tournament.  All-session ticket packages are now available for purchase at www.wcha.com/finalfaceoff   

Sterling Trophy WCHA Forward of the Month:
Abbey Murphy/Minnesota/Forward/Redshirt Junior/Evergreen Park, Ill.
Abbey Murphy earned her second consecutive WCHA Forward of the Month Award with her standout play on the ice in the month of December.  She was named the WCHA Forward of the Week on Dec. 4 and finished her month with six goals, four assists and 10 points to lead the league in scoring during December.  She opened the month with four goals and four assists in a weekend sweep of Bemidji State and then two goals in a 5-3 win over #3 ranked Wisconsin on Dec. 8.  In five games played during December, Minnesota posted a 3-1-1 record as Murphy had two power play goals, one game winner, 25 shots on net, four blocked shot and was +5 on the plus/minus.  Of note, Murphy scored her 100th career point as a Gopher against Wisconsin on Dec. 8 and now has 101 career points (58g/43).  On the season, Murphy leads NCAA DI players with 21 goals and ranks third in the nation with 33 points in 2023-24.

Other Players Nominated: Sydney Langseth, Minnesota State; Katie Kaufman, St. Cloud State; Britta Curl, Wisconsin; Taylor Nelson, Bemidji State; Jenna Buglioni, Ohio State.

Sterling Trophy WCHA Defender of the Month:
Caroline Harvey/Wisconsin/Defender/Sophomore/Salem, N.H.
Wisconsin sophomore Caroline Harvey earned her second WCHA Defender of the Month award during the month of December 2023.  The WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, Harvey scored four assists during the month of December.  She also tallied 10 shots on goal, seven blocked shots and charted a +7 on the plus/minus.  On defense, she helped Wisconsin earn a 3-0 shutout with two blocked shots and two assists against #6 ranked Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 2.  The Badgers finished the weekend against UMD and later posted a 5-1 win over #2 Minnesota on Dec. 9.  In 11 games played this season, Harvey has two goals and 18 assists to her credit along with 34 shots on goal and 15 blocked shots.  Harvey was also named the WCHA Defender of the Month in September 2023.

Other Players Nominated: Hadley Hartmetz, Ohio State; Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota; Ellah Hause, St. Thomas; Ida Karlsson, Minnesota Duluth; Khloe Lund, Bemidji State and JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State

Sterling Trophy WCHA Goaltender of the Month:
Sanni Ahola/St. Cloud State/Goaltender/Senior/Helsinki, Finland
Sanni Ahola earned her second WCHA Goaltender of the Month Award in December as she charted a 2-0-1 record that included a 46 save performance in the Huskies’ 2-1 victory over #1 Ohio State on Dec. 1.  In December, Ahola saw 185 minutes of playing time and allowed just three goals and made 108 saves.  Her save rate for the month was a league leading .973 and she also led the WCHA with a stellar 0.97 goals against average in those three games.  In addition to the win at OSU, Ahola gained a 1-1 tie against #2 Minnesota on Dec. 5 (27 saves) and a 5-1 win over #6 Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 9 (35 saves).  Ahola currently leads the nation with five shutouts this season and a .967 save percentage and is second in the country with a 0.80 goals against average.

Other Players Nominated: Raygan Kirk, Ohio State; Lauren Barbro, MInnesota State; Lucy Morgan, Minnesota; Calla Frank, St. Thomas; Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Eva Filippova, Bemidji State; 

Sterling Trophy WCHA Rookie of the Month:
Ava Lindsay/Minnesota/Forward/Freshman/Minnetonka, Minn.
University of Minnesota freshman forward Ava Lindsay finished the month of December with three goals, three assists and six points to lead WCHA Rookies in scoring.  In five games played, Lindsay helped the #2 ranked Gophers post a 3-1-1 record that included wins over Bemidji State and #3 Wisconsin along with a shootout win against #7 St. Cloud State.  The WCHA Rookie of the Week on Dec. 4, Lindsay had one power play goal, 10 shots on goal, one blocked shot and was +2 on the plus/minus.  In the Gophers weekend sweep against Bemidji State, Lindsay had three goals and two assists.

Other Players Nominated: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Kelly Gorbatenko, Wisconsin; Hailey Armstrong, Bemidji State; Ella Boerger, St. Thomas and Joy Dunne, Ohio State.

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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 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

Oct. 2023: 
Forward - Britta Curl, Wisconsin
Defender - Emma Peschel, Ohio State
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, SCSU
Rookie - Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin

Nov. 2023: 
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota
Defender - Hadley Hartmetz, Ohio State
Goalie - Hailey MacLeod, UMD
Rookie - Joy Dunne, Ohio State

Dec. 2023: 
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota
Defender - Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State
Rookie - Ava Lindsay, Minnesota

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