Junior forward Abby Hustler has been named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, as announced by the USA Hockey Foundation. The Patty Kazmaier Award is bestowed annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

Hustler is the first top-10 finalist for the Scarlet and Brown since both Kennedy Marchment '18 and Brooke Webster '17 were finalists in 2017.

"Abby has had a breakout season for us this year and has been "white hot" since the holiday break," said head coach Chris Wells. "She was National Player of the Month in January and then followed that up with ECAC Player of the week the first week of February. A Second-Team All-ECAC selection was a tribute to her and her game with the number of excellent players in the ECAC. Abby has been extremely reliable in all offensive situations and has scored a number of very important goals for us."
 
"Her numbers are real, we didn't have any huge blowout games where her points were inflated.  Abby is a pure goal scorer and loves to score in any situation, whether it be OT, late in the game, or warm up drills in practice!  She loves the game of hockey and is always working on her improvement. The recognition this season will only continue her pursuit to be the best player she can be."

The selection process for the Patty Kazmaier Award begins when head coaches nominate players for the award. Players receiving multiple nominations are placed on the official ballot, at which point head coaches vote for the top-10 finalists.

Three finalists will be selected by a 13-person committee made up of NCAA Division I women's hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey. The top-three finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 13 and the winner of the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be announced during a live TV ceremony on Saturday, March 23 at the Whittemore Center Arena in Portsmouth, N.H. during the Women's Frozen Four.

Hustler becomes the seventh player in St. Lawrence women's hockey history to be named top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Kennedy Marchment '18 and Brooke Webster '17 were the most recent finalists in 2017, while Britni Smith '10 was a finalist in 2010. Sabrina Harbec '08 was a finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Jessica Moffat '06 was a finalist in 2006, and Rebecca Russell '05 was a finalist in 2005.

Hustler, who ranks second nationally with 12 power play goals on the season, also ranks seventh with 0.67 goals per game, eighth with 1.53 points per game, and ninth with 0.85 assists.

"A wonderful person to be around," Wells added. "Abby brings so much more to our team and St. Lawrence University than just goals and assists. She connects with everyone she comes into contact with and leaves a lasting impression."

The seventh-ranked Saints defeated No. 13 Yale in the ECAC Quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals this weekend in Hamilton, N.Y. The third-seeded Saints will face second-seeded Clarkson on Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m.