Hockey East announced Thursday the 2021-22 all-rookie team and five other season awards as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches as part of the celebration of the 20th annual Hockey East tournament.
The all-rookie team consists of seven players and includes goaltenders Callie Shanahan (Boston University) and Megan Warrener (UConn), a single defenseman in Courtney Colarullo (Maine) and forwards Skylar Irving (Northeastern), Kira Juodikis (New Hampshire), Reagan Miller (Vermont), and Abby Newhook (Boston College).
Also recognized for their efforts in the 2021-22 campaign are a pair of senior defenders named co-best defensemen in Vermont senior Maude Poulin-Labelle and Northeastern senior Skylar Fontaine. Poulin-Labelle is the first Vermont player to be so honored while Fontaine was the first Husky to win the award since its inception in 2009-10 and is now the first player to win it three times in a row.
Vermont graduate forward Alyssa Holmes has been honored as the best defensive forward during the regular season, the first Catamount to win the award since Erin Wente in 2012-13.
Maine graduate forward Taylor Leech was awarded the conference’s sportsmanship award. Leech has played 128 games in a Black Bears sweater and amassed just 32 penalty minutes in conference play.
Two statistical awards were also formally announced, as Theresa Schafzahl was the league’s top scorer (21 goals, 18 assists, 39 points), the first Catamount to lead the league in scoring, while Schafzahl also earned the three stars award. The senior forward accumulated the highest total of points from first-, second- and third-star accolades during Hockey East league games over the course of the regular season.
The 2022 Hockey East women’s tournament continues with quarterfinals on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 at the campus of the top four seeds. Semifinals are slated to take place on Wednesday, March 2 with the championship game held on Saturday, March 5 to determine the winner of the 2022 Bertagna Trophy and an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Hockey East will announce the 2021-22 all-star teams tomorrow, Friday, February 25 ahead of the quarterfinals. The league will then announce finalists for the player, rookie and coach of the year awards on Monday, February 28. The winners of those awards will then be revealed prior to the semifinals on Wednesday, March 2.
