The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Sterling Trophy Players of the Month for November 2023 were announced by the league office today with the following players being honored:  Forward of the Month - Abbey Murphy (Minnesota), Defender of the Month - Hadley Hartmetz (Ohio State), Goaltender of the Month - Hailey MacLeod (Minnesota Duluth) and Rookie of the Month - Joy Dunne (Ohio State).

The WCHA is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24 and it will continue conference play with games on Dec. 2-4.  

Make plans now to attend the 2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff championship, which will take place at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on March 8-9.  The Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff caps the league’s postseason tournament with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA tournament.  All-session ticket packages are now available for purchase at www.wcha.com/finalfaceoff 

Complete release in a PDF format

Sterling Trophy WCHA Forward of the Month:
Abbey Murphy/Forward/Redshirt Junior/Evergreen Park, Ill.
A resident of Evergreen Park, Ill., Abbey Murphy dazzled to the tune of six goals and eight points in the month of November for the University of Minnesota.  The Gophers won all six of their games in November, which included wins over nationally ranked Cornell and Minnesota Duluth. She again acted as the catalyst of the Minnesota offense, putting a whopping 32 shots on net in the month. Murphy recorded career goal number 50 in a 3-1 win against Harvard on Nov. 24, and followed it up by scoring twice more against No. 8 Cornell on Nov. 25.  Murphy also had two goals and an assist in Minnesota sweep at #6 Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 17-18.  Her month’s numbers also included three power play goals, one short handed goal, one game winner, two blocked shots and a +4 on the plus minus.  On the season, Murphy ranks second in the country with 15 goals and eighth with 23 points.  She leads all Division I players in 2023-24 with 86 shots on net.  Murphy was named the WCHA Forward of the Week on November 27.

Other Players Nominated: Reece Hunt, Minnesota Duluth; Jamie Nelson, Minnesota State; Jenn Gardiner, Ohio State.

Sterling Trophy WCHA Defender of the Month:
Hadley Hartmetz/Defender/Grad Student/Phoenixville, Pa.
Hadley Hartmetz was a blueline leader for #1 ranked Ohio State during the month of November as she led her club with seven assists.  She was second on the team with an impressive plus/minus rating of +11 through six games played, which included wins over Wisconsin (then ranked #1) and nationally ranked St. Lawrence.  Hartmetz’ play on defense helped OSU gain three shutouts during the month of November including a 3-0 win over defending NCAA champion Wisconsin and an 11-0 win over St. Lawrence.  In the other three games of the month, Ohio State only allowed one goal apiece in those wins.  In November, Ohio State outscored its opponents 35-3 and outshot their opponents 241-89. Hartmetz helped the Ohio State penalty kill finish .944 in November, only giving up one goal on 18 opportunities.   She assisted on key goals for the Buckeyes’ including the game-winning overtime goal against Wisconsin on Nov. 18 and she had three helpers in the team’s 11-0 win over St. Lawrence to help the Buckeyes to a program-record goals in a game. On the month, Hartmetz finished with 13 shots on goal and nine blocked shots.  She was named the WCHA Defender of the Week on November 27.

Other Players Nominated: Hanna Baskin, Minnesota Duluth; JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Nelli Laitinen Minnesota; Khloe Lund Bemidji State; Ellah Hause, St. Thomas

Sterling Trophy WCHA Goaltender of the Month:
Hailey MacLeod/Goaltender/Sophomore/Abbotsford, B.C.
Minnesota Duluth sophomore netminder Hailey MacLeod led the WCHA in saves (89) and saves percentage (.978) in November.  She currently leads the NCAA with a .973 saves percentage and ranks second in the nation with a 0.65 GAA.  MacLeod was undefeated in November, which included a shutout against #2 ranked Colgate on Nov. 24.  She had 29 saves and no goals allowed in the win over Colgate.  MacLeod completed the weekend series against Colgate with a 37 save performance that resulted in a 1-1 overtime tie.  MacLeod opened the month with a 23 save 3-1 win over St. Thomas on Nov. 3. She was named the WCHA Goalie of the Week on Nov. 27.

Other Players Nominated: Raygan Kirk, Ohio State; Jojo Chobak, St. Cloud State; Lucy Morgan, Minnesota; Calla Frank, St. Thomas
 

Sterling Trophy WCHA Rookie of the Month:
Joy Dunne/Forward/Freshman/O’Fallon, Mo.
The WCHA Pre-Season Rookie of the Year, Joy Dunne led #1 ranked Ohio State with six goals in November 2023.  She finished the month with six goals and two assists for eight points. Dunne tallied her first career hattrick in the Buckeyes’ 9-1 win over Bemidji State (11/3). She added an assist in that game for a career-high four point game.  Later in the month, Dunne scored a goal in each game against St. Lawrence to help the Buckeyes earn their fourth sweep of a top-10 team in 2023-24.  Dunne finished the month with 20 shots on goal, two blocked shots and a +7. She was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week on Nov. 6 for her play against Bemidji State.

Other Players Nominated: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; JuliAnna Gazdik, Minnesota State; Alice Sauriol, St. Cloud State; Emma Kreisz, Minnesota; Hailey Armstrong, Bemidji State; Ella Boerger, St. Thomas
 

---

2023-24 Sterling Trophy Players of the Month Award Winners:

Sept. 2023: 
Forward - Lacey Eden, Wisconsin
Defender - Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
Goalie - Raygan Kirk, Ohio State
Rookie - Cassie Hall, Wisconsin

Oct. 2023: 
Forward - Britta Curl, Wisconsin
Defender - Emma Peschel, Ohio State
Goalie - Sanni Ahola, SCSU
Rookie - Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin

Nov. 2023: 
Forward - Abbey Murphy, Minnesota
Defender - Hadley Hartmetz, Ohio State
Goalie - Hailey MacLeod, UMD
Rookie - Joy Dunne, Ohio State
 

ABOUT THE WCHA
Founded in 1999, the women’s league of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has positioned itself as the top conference in all of women’s collegiate hockey and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023-24.  The WCHA has won an unprecedented 20 national championships while finishing as the national runner-up nine times since 1999.  The league has produced nine Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners as well an additional 24 student-athletes who were among the Top-3 finalists for the award.  In addition, WCHA student-athletes have been recognized as All-Americans 121 times in league history.

ABOUT STERLING TROPHY
Sterling Trophy has grown into a leader in the award and recognition industry in the Twin Cities since its founding in 1999. A family business that started in the basement of the home of founders David Steinbring and Patty Steinbring, Sterling Trophy has built a proud tradition of quality service and unique products. For more information, visit sterlingtrophy.net.