Boston College Athletics
Women's Ice Hockey Signee Named 2006 Ms. Hockey
February 27, 2006 | Women's Hockey
Feb. 27, 2006
Minneapolis, Minn. - Allie Thunstrom, a senior forward on the North St. Paul High School girls' hockey team, was named the winner of the 11th annual Ms. Hockey Award by Let's Play Hockey newspaper. The award, selected by a panel of Division I and III college coaches from Minnesota and Wisconsin, is based on the following criteria: academics, community/extra curricular activities, citizenship, coachability and, of course, on-ice performance.
Thunstrom, who will play at Boston College starting in the 2006-07 season, scored 56 goals and had 21 assists for 77 points in 23 regular -season games for the 23-4-1 Polars, who lost 4-3 in overtime to Stillwater in the Section 3AA championship game. Thunstrom, a 5-foot-5 forward, added five goals and three assists in the playoffs to finish with 61 goals and 24 assists for 85 points overall in 2005-06.
With fellow finalists Chelsey Jones of Stillwater, Anna McDonald of Totino-Grace, another Boston College signee, Meaghan Pezon of Eden Prairie and Holly Roberts of Warroad alongside her at the head table at the Ms. Hockey Awards banquet at RiverCentre in St. Paul, Thunstrom was among familiar faces. She has been a teammate of all four of the other finalists on off-season teams.
"I was in shock," said Thunstrom, who played youth hockey on boys' teams in the old St. Paul Harding youth association before making the switch to girls' hockey as an 11-year-old. "Any one of those players up there could have won it. It was an amazing feeling and I really didn't know what to think of it. There are so many players in this state who are so good, and a lot of them are my good friends. Everyone that was up there, to get this award is a feeling that I've never felt before. It's a really proud moment."
For her varsity career, Thunstrom tallied 347 points on 228 goals and 119 assists. She was a five-time All-Classic Suburban Conference selection and a two-time member of the Class AA All-State Tournament team. She was named MVP of the Polars three times. She was named to the Minnesota Girls' Hockey Coaches Association's Class AA All-State team as a sophomore, junior and senior. She was cited on the All-State honorable mention list as a freshman. In the summer of 2004, Thunstrom represented the U.S. at an International Ice Hockey Federation Development Camp in Finland.
"When anyone walks into the arena and catches Allie touching the puck, they are fixated on her and remember her. It's what brings them back," North St. Paul coach Bill Halbrehder said. "She's a very captivating player and exciting to watch for anyone from the most knowledgeable hockey fan to a novice. That says a lot about what she meant to us and how neat this is to have happen to her. That speed has been her trademark all her life and will continue to be. I'm just so happy for her." Thunstrom is a two-time all-Classic Suburban Conference goalie in soccer and was named Class AA All-state honorable mention in softball as a junior.
Thunstrom is equally proficient in non-skating endeavors. She carries a 3.265 cumulative grade-point average. She ranks 219th in her class of 491 students. She plans to major in biology at Boston College.
The 11th annual award, presented annually to Minnesota's best senior girls high school hockey player, is sponsored by Let's Play Hockey and the Minnesota Wild.
