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And then there was the scorer, the goalie and the reigning award winner.
The 3 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award were announced Thursday, winnowing the field down from ten. Those three are: Boston College senior forward Alex Carpenter, Northeastern senior forward Kendall Coyne, and Wisconsin junior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier-Sandt, the award is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division 1 women's ice hockey.
Carpenter, who was named the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, has the opportunity to become the first player to win the award in back-to-back years. Only Harvard's Jennifer Botterill (2001, 2003) has won the award twice.
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Carpenter has 77 points (38G-39A) in 36 games and leads the country in assists. The Eagles (36-0-0, 24-0-0 Hockey East) remain the top team in college hockey entering this weekend's Hockey East tournament. (You can stream the championship game Sunday live on American Sports Net.)
Coyne, whose 2.34 points per game are the most in college hockey, leads most offensive categories, including goals, points (82), hat tricks (5), and shots on goal. Her goal total (49) is 11 more than Carpenter and 17 more than third-place Dani Cameranesi. Coyne averages 9.66 shots per game, over three more than the next-highest player.
Desbiens set the NCAA record for most shutouts in a single season this past weekend against Minnesota State when she notched her 18th. Thanks in part to Desbiens, the Badgers ended the regular season giving up 26 goals in 34 games. (Take away the 4 games against Minnesota this season and she allowed 15.) Desbiens has given up an average of 0.77 goals per game with a .958 save percentage.
Wisconsin had nine consecutive shutouts during October and November with Desbiens being in net for 534:53 without giving up a goal. The Badgers are the top seed in the WCHA Final Faceoff this weekend (available to stream online at WCHA.com - the championship game will be televised live Sunday on Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Wisconsin).
A goaltender has not won the Patty Kazmaier award since Wisconsin goalie Jessie Vetter earned the honor in 2009.
The 2016 Patty Kazmaier Award will be unveiled at a brunch ceremony at Wentworth By The Sea in New Castle, New Hampshire, on Saturday March 19 as part of the festivities surrounding Frozen Four weekend.