Vicki Bendus (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – Mercyhurst College women’s hockey forwards Vicki Bendus, Jesse Scanzano and Bailey Bram have been named top-10 finalists for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, USA Hockey officials announced on Tuesday.
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recognizes the accomplishments of the most outstanding player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey each season.
Bendus, Scanzano and Bram join Emmanuelle Blais (Minnesota Duluth), Felicia Nelson (St. Cloud State), Sarah Parsons (Dartmouth), Kelly Paton (New Hampshire), Noora Raty (Minnesota), Florence Schelling (Northeastern) and Britni Smith (St. Lawrence) as this year’s finalists.
Bendus, a junior forward from Wasaga Beach, Ontario, leads the Lakers as well as NCAA Division I in points with 60 in 32 games. She also ranks first in short-handed goals (5) and places second in points per game (1.88), third in assists per game (1.06) and fifth in goals per game (0.81).
“Vicki is a wonderful person and a tremendous leader who plays with great emotion each and every game,” said Lakers coach Michael Sisti. “Off the ice, she is a great student and even better person. On the ice, she plays in every situation and leads by example, and is having the best season of her career.”
Jesse Scanzano (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
One of the team’s four captains, Bendus is pursuing a degree in biology and pre-medicine.
Scanzano, a junior forward from Montreal, Quebec, has scored 19 goals and added 37 assists through 29 games. She leads the country in points per game (1.93) and assists per game (1.28) and is tied for second in short-handed goals with four.
“Jesse has improved throughout her career at Mercyhurst,” Sisti said. “She is probably one of the best players in the country. She moves so well for her size and is a player all opposing teams watch for on the ice. She works extremely hard and plays with great passion. I am always impressed with the tenacity that she plays with.”
Elected the team’s fourth captain last week, Scanzano is pursuing a
Bailey Bram (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
degree in business marketing.
Bram, a sophomore forward from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, posted 25 goals and 24 assists for 49 points during the regular season. She currently ranks second in power-play goals (12) and game-winning goals (8), and third in goals per game (0.83).
“Bailey is following up a really good freshman season with a spectacular sophomore year,” Sisti said. “She is one of the faster players in the country with an unbelievable ability to score. She has steadily improved with each game and is a very crafty player that is fun to watch.”
Bram is pursuing a degree in business.
The top-10 class of candidates for the 13th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award represent all four women’s college conferences: College Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, the Hockey East Association and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.
The three finalists for this year’s award will be announced March 9.
- From Mercyhurst College news release
