Brandt, Carpenter, Poulin top-three finalists for Kazmaier

The top three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award were announced last week, and Gophers junior forward Hannah Brandt has made the cut alongside two other forwards, junior Alex Carpenter of Boston College and Boston University senior Marie-Philip Poulin.

Brandt is in good company. Both Carpenter and Poulin are national team players for their respective countries (Carpenter for the U.S., Poulin for Team Canada) and the two actually faced each other last February in Sochi at the Olympics. Carpenter came away with Hockey East Player of the Year honors and leads the nation in nearly every offensive category (33 G, 42 A, 75 points overall). She even broke her own single-season record for points this year. (Not that Brandt is a slouch by any means -- she's just eight points behind, and she and Carpenter were actually teammates for the 4 Nations Cup last November.) Carpenter can charge hard to the net and has excellent hands, as demonstrated in these highlights of her scoring two goals and an assist Jan. 17 against Vermont:

Carpenter and Poulin are each vying for the chance to be the first of their hockey programs to be a Patty Kaz recipient, and to be honest, no matter who it is, I think the choice will be good. I've watched both Carpenter and Poulin internationally, and listening to Gophers broadcasts weekly, I know what kind of player Brandt can be. They each deserve plenty of recognition for their incredible play this year and making this race to the top an exciting one.

NCAA:

USCHO.com Rankings: (3/9/15)

CWHL:

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