MADISON, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) office announced the 2022 All-WIAC women's hockey awards Tuesday with Head Coach Erik Strand earning Coach of the Year honors and three Blugolds earning spots on All-WIAC Team and five earning Honorable Mention distinction.
WIAC Release
Strand secured the coaching award for the third straight season and fourth time in his career after leading the Blugolds to a 23-5 regular season record and another bid into the NCAA tournament. The 23 victories are a program record and Eau Claire has finished first or second in the league the past six seasons after a fourth place finish in Strand's first season in 2015-16. The '02 alum currently has a 121-47-15 overall record while leading the Blugolds.
Claiming spots on the All-WIAC Team were Bree Osborne (Sr.- West St. Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall), Hallie Sheridan (Jr. - Fergus Falls, MN) and Danielle Slominski (Jr. – Becker, MN/Princeton).
Osborne was awarded first team honors for the second straight year. The defenseman is +14 on the season and is tied for second on the team with 11 assists.
Fellow defensemen Hallie Sheridan leads the team with 15 assists and is tied for second with 13 goals, including six game-winners and a hat trick. Sheridan has a team-leading 28 points.
Slominski has also had a stellar season, tallying seven goals and seven assists and sits at +15.
Five Blugolds were named Honorable Mention, including Stephanie Martin (Sr.- Yorktown, VA/Tabb), Emma Peterson (Sr. - Superior, WI), Samantha Scherling (Jr.- Rogers, MN), Addie Young (Sr. – Superior, WI), Hanna Zavoral (Sr.- St. Paul, MN/Highland Park).
Martin leads the WIAC with a goals against average of just 1.21, giving up 28 goals in 23 games. The senior netminder has 414 saves with a league-leading save percentage of .937.
Peterson is second with 24 points this season, scoring 13 goals, including two game-winners while Scherling is having a strong junior campaign with five goals and 11 assists.
Zavoral has a team-leading 14 goals on the season and tallied a hat trick against UW-Superior on Nov. 13th. Fellow senior Young is tied for third on the team with 17 points so far this season and has netted one game-winner. Young was also named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
The Blugolds (23-5) will face Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
