Bemidji State's Kaitlin Groess joined St. Thomas' Rylee Bartz and Jenessa Gazdik in earning Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors presented by OS Hockey, announced on Monday by the league office.
WCHA Forward of the Week
Rylee Bartz, Jr., St. Thomas (Fargo, N.D.)
St. Thomas' Rylee Bartz earned her second WCHA Forward of the Week honor of the season for her four-point weekend performance in the Tommies' series with Bemidji State. Bartz recorded three points in the series opener on Friday, with a goal and two assists to help St. Thomas to a 5-0 victory. The junior forward tallied an assist on the Tommies' only goal in Saturday's contest. Bartz leads St. Thomas with 17 points this season, off of eight goals and nine assists, while her eight goals are also a team-high.
WCHA Defender of the Week
Jenessa Gazdik, Jr., St. Thomas (Somerset, Wis.)
For the first time this season, St. Thomas' Jenessa Gazdik earned the WCHA Defender of the Week nod for her efforts in helping the Tommies to a series split with Bemidji State last weekend. Gazdik produced on both ends of the ice in the series, totalling three points and adding four blocks for the Tommies. All three of Gazdik's points came
in Friday's 5-0 victory for St. Thomas as she scored a goal and tallied two assists to go along with two blocks. The St. Thomas blueliner recorded two blocks in Saturday's contest.
WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Kaitlin Groess, So., Bemidji State (Ham Lake, Minn.)
Kaitlin Groess claimed her first WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor of the season and second of her career after helping Bemidji State earn its first conference victory of the season. In Saturday's 2-1 win over then No. 14 St. Thomas, Groess stopped 27 of the 28 shots she faced to earn her third win of the season. Groess stopped the first 24 Tommie shots in the game before the Tommies found the back of the net with 4:06 left to play. The sophomore netminder helped the Beavers to a defeat of a ranked opponent for the first time since 2022.
Other Nominee: Julia Minotti, St. Thomas
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at
wcha.com.
2025-26 WCHA Players of the Week
Nov. 10: Forward: Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas; Defender: Jenessa Gazdik, St. Thomas; Goaltender: Kaitlin Groess, Bemidji State
Nov. 3: Forward: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Taylor Kressin, Ohio State; Rookie: Sophia Villanueva, Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 27: Forward: Claire Enright, Wisconsin; Defender: Emma Peschel, Ohio State; Goaltender: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Oct. 20: Forward: Alice Sauriol, St. Cloud State; Defender: Ellah Hause, St. Thomas; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Rae Mayer, Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 13: Forward: Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Rookie: Maria Mikaelyan, St. Cloud State
Oct. 6: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Laila Edwards, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Sept. 29: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Sydney Morrow, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Bella Fanale, Minnesota
Sept. 22: Forward: Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas; Defender: Siiri Yrjölä, St. Cloud State; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Zoe Lopez, Minnesota State