Gophers' Heise tops Bulldogs' Hughes and Buckeyes' Jaques for 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

DULUTH — Minnesota senior forward Taylor Heise was named the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner on Saturday morning, beating out fellow WCHA rivals, All-Americans and top-three finalists Gabbie Hughes, the Minnesota Duluth senior center, and Ohio State senior defenseman Sophie Jaques.

Heise, of Lake City, Minnesota, is the third Gopher to win the award in 25 years. She led the nation in scoring with 29 goals and 37 assists for 66 points. She helped lead the Gophers to a WCHA regular season championship and was named the WCHA Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.

Hughes and Jaques were attempting to become the first Patty Kaz winners for their school. Jaques was the first Buckeye to land in the top three while Hughes is the seventh Bulldog to make the top three but get passed over.

No school has had more top three finalists without winning the award than UMD.

Hughes posted 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points as the Bulldogs came within a win of a national championship. Her 1.48 points per game average put the Lino Lakes, Minnesota, native eighth in the country in scoring. She is also a finalist for the all-division, all-gender Hockey Humanitarian Award — which is awarded to college hockey’s “finest citizen” — for her advocacy for mental health issues impacting college, high school and youth athletes, working with UMD’s Green Bandana Project and helping found Sophie’s Squad.

Hughes is one of three women’s hockey players to ever be named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kaz and to be among the finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Jaques, of Toronto, helped lead the Buckeyes to their first NCAA championship via a 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs at the 2022 Frozen Four in University Park, Pennsylvania. She also helped lead Ohio State to a WCHA postseason title.

Jaques’ 1.55 points per game ranked third in the nation in scoring as she totaled 21 goals and 38 assists for 59 points. She was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Jaques was attempting to become the second defenseman to ever win the Patty Kaz. Harvard’s Angela Ruggiero is the one and only defenseman to win it, in 2003-04.