April 14, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's hockey held its year-end banquet on Saturday night to honor its inaugural season. Five Nittany Lions were doled out awards as presented by the coaching staff.
Junior goaltender Nicole Paniccia (Oakville, Ont.) was named the team's most valuable player for her outstanding play in net. Paniccia was outstanding all season long, making 1,028 saves in 27 starts. Paniccia posted a .928 save percentage, which ranked eighth in the nation among Division I teams.
Penn State awarded freshman Emily Laurenzi (Townsend, Del.) and junior Jenna Welch (Austin, Texas) as the team's unsung heroes. The duo was honored for their play and poise on and off the ice that didn't show up in the stat sheet. Laurenzi and Welch each appeared in all 35 Penn State contests.
Freshman forward Birdie Shaw (Troy, Mich.) garnered the Iron Lion Award, for outstanding performance in the weight room. Shaw was recognized as coming into the season in the best shape and continuing that work ethic all season long.
Freshman defender Stephanie Walkom (Moon Township, Pa.) was honored as the most improved player. Walkom made her first appearance in the second semester against Chatham, but earned regular playing time starting with a 3-3 tie against Lindenwood on Feb. 9. From there, she played in every game down the stretch, finishing the season with eight appearances.
Penn State also recognized the career of Kate Christoffersen (Trumbull, Conn.) who will go down as the first senior of the varsity women's hockey program.
Team Awards
Most Valuable Player: Nicole Paniccia
Unsung Heroes: Emily Laurenzi, Jenna Welch
Iron Lion Award: Birdie Shaw
Most Improved Player: Stephanie Walkom
--NITTANY LIONS--