Wisconsin's duo of Laila Edwards and Ava Murphy were joined by Ohio State's Amanda Thiele and Minnesota's Chloe Primerano in earning the latest Western Collegiate Hockey Association weekly awards presented by OS Hockey, the league announced on Monday.
After guiding the Badgers to a series sweep of St. Thomas, Edwards and Murphy were named the Forward and Defender of the Week, respectively. Thiele helped the second-ranked Buckeyes to a top five series sweep of No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in route to earning the Goaltender of the Week nod, while Minnesota's Primerano earned her first Rookie of the Week honor.
WCHA Forward of the Week
Laila Edwards, Jr., Wisconsin (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
After leading all WCHA skaters with nine points on the weekend, Wisconsin's Laila Edwards was named the Forward of the Week. Edwards opened the Badgers' series sweep of St. Thomas with one goal and three assists on Friday night. In Saturday's 11-1 victory, Edwards tallied four goals and one assist. Edwards earned Wisconsin's first natural hat track since the 2021-22 season in Saturday's contest while also becoming one of eight players in program history to record four or more goals in a game.
Other Nominees: Josefin Bouveng, Minnesota; Kiara Zanon, Ohio State; Sofianna Sundelin, St. Cloud State.
WCHA Defender of the Week
Ava Murphy, So, Wisconsin (Kitchener, Ontario)
For the first time this season, Wisconsin's Ava Murphy was named the WCHA Defender of the Week. Murphy led all WCHA defenders on the weekend with five points off of a goal and four assists in Wisconsin's series sweep of St. Thomas. The Kitchener, Ontario native also led all WCHA defenders with a +8 plus/minus. In the Badgers 6-1 win on Friday, Murphy recorded a goal and an assist. The sophomore defender tallied three assists in Saturday's 11-1 win.
Other Nominees: Chloe Primerano, Minnesota; JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Riley Brengman, Ohio State; Siiri Yrjölä, St. Cloud State.
WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Amanda Thiele, Gr., Ohio State (Milford. Mich.)
Amanda Thiele posted a 2-0-0 record on the weekend in No. 2 Ohio State's top-five series sweep over No. 4 Minnesota Duluth on the road to earn the Goaltender of the Week honor. Thiele stopped 32 of the 34 shots she faced in the series to earn a .941 save percentage and improve to 11-4-2 on the year. In Friday's 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs, Thiele collected 19 saves and recorded a .950 save percentage. The Buckeye netminder followed up with 13 saves in Saturday's 2-1 victory.
Other Nominees: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Chloe Primerano, D, Minnesota (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Minnesota's Chloe Primerano was tabbed the WCHA Rookie of the Week after her performance in the Gophers' series sweep of Minnesota State.
Primerano led all Gopher defenders with three points in the series after tallying one goal and two assists. The rookie defender tied for the team lead on the weekend with a plus/minus of five. In Friday's 8-3 win, Primerano recorded a goal and an assist before following up with one assist in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Mavericks.
Other Nominees: Mira Jungåker, Ohio State; Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league at WCHA.com and on its social platforms: X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
2024-25 WCHA Players of the Week:
Jan. 20 | Forward: Laila Edwards, Wisconsin; Defender: Ava Murphy, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Amanda Thiele, Ohio State; Rookie: Chloe Primerano, Minnesota
Jan. 13 | Forward: Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State; Defender: Gracie Graham, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Maggie Scannell, Wisconsin
Jan. 6 | Forward: Whitney Tuttle, Minnesota State; Defender: Sydney Morrow, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Morgan Smith, Bemidji State
Dec. 16 | Forward: Madison Mashuga, Minnesota State; Defender: JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Morgan Smith, Bemidji State
Dec. 9 | Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Chloe Primerano, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Maggie Scannell, Wisconsin
Dec. 2 | Forward: Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth
Nov. 25 | Forward: Olivia Wallin, Minnesota Duluth; Defender: Tova Henderson, Minnesota Duluth; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Chloe Boreen, St. Thomas
Nov. 18 | Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Riley Brengman, Ohio State; Goaltender: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Rookie: Kaitlin Groess, Bemidji State
Nov. 11 | Forward: Cara Sajevic, St. Thomas; Defender: Nicole Vallario, St. Thomas
Nov. 4 | Forward: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Dani Strom, St. Thomas; Rookie: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 28: Forward: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Defender: Emma Peschel, Ohio State; Goaltender: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Rookie: Josie St. Martin, Ohio State
Oct. 21: Forward: Hailey Armstrong, Bemidji State; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State
Oct. 14: Forward: Laila Edwards, Jr., Wisconsin; Defender: Laney Potter, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Amanda Thiele, Ohio State; Rookie: Maggie Scannell, Wisconsin
Oct. 7: Forward: Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Rookie: Chloe Boreen, St. Thomas
Sept. 30: Forward: Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Hailey MacLeod, Ohio State; Rookie: Jordyn Petrie, Ohio State
Sept. 23: Forward: Emma Gentry, St. Cloud State; Defender: Ella Anick, St. Cloud State; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth