McCollins and Cranston of the University of California, River Falls received the highest CCM/AHCA award.Earned 6 solid All-American honors

AHCA Release – Laura Hurd Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | All-American

–Maddie McCollins of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has been selected as the 2023-24 recipient of the Laura Hurd Award, presented by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to the best player in NCAA Division III women's ice hockey. Coach Joe Cranston was named CCM/AHCA NCAA Division III Coach of the Year. In addition, six of his Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) members earned a spot on the CCM/AHCA NCAA Division III All-America West team.


The Heard Award honors the memory of former Elmira College standout Laura Heard. She graduated from Elmira College in 2005, and Hurd, a four-time All-American, died in a car accident shortly after her graduation. She won her AHCA Player of the Year award in 2005.


McCollins earned AHCA All-America West First Team honors for the second year in a row and is the third Falcon player to win the Laura Hurd Athlete Award, joining Dani Sibley (2017) and Callie Hoff (2022). It became.


This season, McCollins became UC River Falls' all-time leader in games played and set a single-season record with 32 goals. She is NCAA Division III's leading scorer with 62 points in 29 games, with eight power-play goals (first in NCAA Division III) and five game-winning goals. McCollins was also named WIAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.


Cranston is the first WIAC head coach to win the coaching award. He led the Falcons to an undefeated season with a program record of 29-0 and led the Falcons to the sixth NCAA Division III Frozen Four berth in program history. Wisconsin River Falls also won the WIAC regular season title and the O'Brien Cup. Cranston, who is in her 25th season leading the Falcons, is the first and only women's hockey head coach in University of Wisconsin-River Falls history and has 490 career wins, fourth most in NCAA Division III women's hockey history.


Joining McCollins on the AHCA All-America West First Team are teammates McKenna Ole and UC Eau Claire's Sophie Rausch. UC River Falls' Megan Goodrow, Alex Hange and Jordan O'Connor earned AHCA All-America West second team honors.


Ole earned All-America honors for the second straight year after earning second-team honors a season ago. The second-leading scoring defenseman in the country, she had 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points in 29 games. Ole leads the conference with a plus/minus rating of +47.


Rausch earned first-team honors for the second time in his UW-Eau Claire career and third overall. She leads the WIAC with six game-winning goals and ranks second with 50 points, 29 goals and seven power-play goals, and fifth with 21 assists. Rausch is also a finalist for the Laura Heard Award, and her All-America selection is the seventh in program history, including six first-team honorees.


Goodrow is tied for the conference lead with 30 assists and ranks third with 47 points and 17 goals. She added four power-play goals and four game-winning goals.


Hange ranks third in the WIAC with 29 assists and fourth with 43 points and 14 goals. She leads the team with two short-handed goals, which ranks second in the conference, and ranks third in the WIAC with six power-play goals.


O'Connor is one of only two goaltenders with a 1.000 winning percentage in NCAA Division III this season and is tied for first with 21 wins with a 21-0 record. She leads the conference with a .944 save percentage, 1.06 goals against average and seven shutouts.


The University of Wisconsin-River Falls' five All-American selections are the most in program history and the most of any school named to this year's All-America team.

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