Watts Voted a Patty Kazmaier Award Top 3 Finalist

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College freshman forward Daryl Watts was announced as one of the Top 3 Finalists for the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award today by USA Hockey. The Patty Kazmaier Award is presented annually by the USA Hockey Foundation to the top Division I women's college hockey player in the country.

Watts is joined among the Top 3 Finalists by Boston University senior forward Victoria Bach and Clarkson junior forward Loren Gabel.

The 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented on Saturday, March 17, in a morning ceremony at the McNamara Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota, in conjunction with the 2018 Frozen Four.

Watts makes history as just the third freshman ever to earn a Top-3 Finalist spot, joining former Mercyhurst forward Meghan Agosta in 2007 and former Minnesota goaltender Noora Raty in 2010. Agosta went on to four Top 3 Finalist honors and graduated as the NCAA's career leader in both points (303) and goals (157). Raty graduated as the NCAA's career wins leader (114), a mark that was eclipsed this year by BC's Katie Burt.

Watts is Boston College's fourth Top 3 Finalist. Kelli Stack '11 was the program's first in 2011, while Alex Carpenter '16 followed in 2015 – the year she won the Patty Kazmaier Award – and again in 2016, when she was the runner up.

This season, Watts has posted not only one of the best seasons ever by a freshman in NCAA history, but also one of the best and most-balanced campaigns by any player regardless of age.

At just 18 years old, she is the nation's leading scorer (81 points) and has the highest point total ever in an Olympic year during the NCAA era (since 2000-01). The Toronto, Ontario, native has posted just the seventh 40-goal, 40-assist season in NCAA play, the first in an Olympic year, and just the third in the last 13 seasons.

Her 81 points marks the third-highest point total ever posted by a freshman in NCAA play, while her 40 goals are the second-most by a freshman in NCAA history, behind Harvard forward Julie Chu's 42 in 2002-03. Watts' 81 points are also tied with Carpenter's junior year total as the program's second-highest single-season mark.

In addition to points, the Toronto, Ontario, native sits among the top 3 rankings in almost every offensive category nationally. Watts leads all players in the country in points (81), points per game (2.25) and goals (41). She ranks second in assists (tied, 40), goals per game (1.14), assists per game (tied, 1.11), power-play goals (tied, 9), power-play assists (14), power-play points (23), shots on goal per game (5.69) and plus/minus (tied, +48). Watts is third in shorthanded goals (tied, 3) and hat tricks (tied, 2).

Watts' goal total also includes a four-goal game and she has a nation-leading 17 points on game-winning goals (three goals, nation-high 14 assists). She has collected at least one point in 34-of-36 games, with multiple points in a nation-leading 25 games – including 11 multiple-goal games, which is also most in the country.

Watts tied the Hockey East single-season conference points (55) and goals (30) records originally set by Northeaster's Kendall Coyne in her Patty Kazmaier-winning 2015-16 season. Watts also set the Hockey East freshman points, goals and assists (25) records, as well as the Boston College freshman points, goals and assists marks.

She has been recognized four times by the America Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) with national monthly player honors: Player of the Month in October and three Rookie of the Month recognitions (October, November, January). She collected those same honors from Hockey East in the same months, and has also been a two-time Hockey East Player of the Week and a seven-time Hockey East Rookie of the Week.

Boston College (30-3-3) continues its quest to retain its back-to-back Hockey East Tournament titles this weekend. The third-ranked and top-seeded Eagles will meet seventh-seeded Connecticut (15-13-9) in the tournament's semifinal round on Saturday, March 3, at Northeastern's Matthews Arena. Faceoff is set for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on hockeyeastonline.tv, and televised on a tape-delayed basis on NESNPlus at 10 p.m.

Watts Voted a Patty Kazmaier Award Top 3 Finalist

Players Mentioned

Katie Burt

Daryl Watts

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