Fifth-year senior Casey O'Brien was named the 28th recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Award on Saturday in Minneapolis are part of the women's Frozen Four festivities.
O'Brien was a top-three finalist for the second year in a row. This year, her fellow top-three finalists were teammates - just the second time that has happened in the history of the award. O'Brien edged out junior defender Caroline Harvey and junior forward Laila Edwards.
She has had a massive year, racking up 88 points on 26 goals and 62 assists. She set a new program record at Wisconsin for assists in a season and points in a season as well as surpassing Hilary Knight and Mike Eaves for career points, making her not just the women's hockey all-time scorer, but the best scorer in Wisconsin hockey history - men's or women's.
Her 88 points tie her for seventh most in NCAA history. Her 62 assists are the third-most ever.
O'Brien is a two-time Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist and today was named First-Team All-American for the second straight season. She was also WCHA Forward of the Year and Player of the Year.
I made the case for Casey to win the award this week, so make sure to check that out for more on what makes O'Brien the best player in the country.
