Three Western Collegiate Hockey Association student-athletes were named top-three finalists for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, announced today by The USA Hockey Foundation as Wisconsin's trio of Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey and Casey O’Brien are up for the honor. This marks the second time ever (2013, University of Minnesota), that all three finalists hail from the same school.

The winner of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be announced on Saturday, March 22, at 11:30 a.m. CT as part of a live show on NHL Network at the McNamara Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The live show – part of Saturday at the Women’s Frozen Four – is free and open to the public. Doors open at 11 a.m. CT. After the show, fans will have the opportunity to get autographs from previous Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winners AJ Mleczko (Harvard, 1999), Krissy Wendell (Minnesota, 2005), Kendall Coyne (Northeastern, 2016) and Taylor Heise (Minnesota, 2022).

The honor, which was first presented in 1998, is awarded annually to the top player in NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey by The USA Hockey Foundation. 

ABOUT THE TOP-THREE FINALISTS
Laila Edwards, Jr., Wisconsin (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
Edwards currently ranks third in the nation in goals per game (.79) and second in goals (30) while being tied for second in the NCAA in points per game (1.71) and total points (65). The Badger forward ranks fifth nationally in assists per game (0.92). Edwards helped lead Wisconsin to the 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Championship crown and WCHA Regular Season Championship title. Edwards was an All-WCHA First Team selection and a Forbes 2025 30 Athletes Under 30 Selection. During the season, the junior was named the WCHA Forward of the Month for November and was a two-time WCHA Forward of the Week (Oct. 14,  Jan. 20). Edwards volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Dane County and American Family Children’s Hospital at the Badger Patio.

Caroline Harvey, Jr., Wisconsin (Salem, N.H)
The 2025 WCHA Defender of the Year, Caroline Harvey, currently leads all defenders nationally in points per game (1.53), goals per game (.42), and assists per game (1.11). Harvey ranks third in the nation for all players in assists per game and sixth in points per game. The junior defender has recorded 58 points this season (16G, 42A) marking the most of any defender in the NCAA. Harvey most recently helped lead Wisconsin to claim the 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Championship title. The Badgers also earned the 2025 WCHA Regular Season Championship crown. The Salem, New Hampshire native was named to the 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team and was also a 2025 All-WCHA First Team selection. During the season, Harvey was named the WCHA Defender of the Month three times (October, November, February) and earned the HCA National Co-Player of the Month honor for September. Harvey was a six-time WCHA Defender of the Week honoree (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Feb. 24), which marked the most honors of any defender in the WCHA. The Badger defender volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and American Family Children’s Hospital at the Badger Patio.

Casey O'Brien, Fifth-Yr., Wisconsin (Milton, Mass.)
Casey O'Brien was named the 2025 WCHA Player and Forward of the Year and earned All-WCHA First Team honors. O'Brien leads the nation in points per game (2.18) and assists per game (1.53) while ranking seventh in the country in goals per game (.66). O'Brien leads the nation this season in points (83) and assists (58) and is seventh in goals (25). The Milton, Massachusetts native helped Wisconsin to earn its 11th WCHA Final Faceoff title and she was named to the 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament team and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor. O'Brien helped the Badgers to its 10th WCHA Regular Season title.  During the regular season, O'Brien earned the HCA National Co-Player of the Month for September along with teammate Harvey and was a two-time WCHA Forward of the Month award winner for her efforts in September and October. O'Brien was a three-time WCHA Forward of the Week award recipient (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Feb. 10). The Badger forward has volunteered at the American Family Children’s Hospital Bucky Locker Room Patio, the Ronald McDonald House, and Augie’s Lunches with Love.

The WCHA is home to nine previous Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipients, including Ohio State's Sophie Jaques, who won the award in 2023, and Minnesota's Taylor Heise, who received the award in 2022. 
 

SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process commenced in early February when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by multiple coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was returned to the coaches to vote for the ten finalists. The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, and an at-large member and representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

SATURDAY AT THE NCAA WOMEN’S FROZEN FOUR The 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Show will be broadcast live from the McNamara Alumni Center, on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, as part of Saturday at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. The event is free of charge and fans can enter the facility at 11 a.m. CT with all guests seated at 11:20 a.m. and the live 30-minute television show beginning promptly at 11:30 a.m. The three finalists will be on hand, in addition to the Frozen Four teams, as the 28th winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be revealed. Following the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Show, fans will have a chance to get autographs from previous Patty Kazmier Memorial Award winners Krissy Wendell-Pohl, AJ Mleczko, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise. For more information, click HERE. 

ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement. For a full list of previous honorees, click HERE. 

ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.

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.