Thibault Earns Hockey East TPS Hockey Player of the Year

STORRS, Conn. (March 7, 2008) - Sophomore Dominique Thibault (L'Orignal, Ont.) was named the Hockey East TPS Hockey Player of the Year after a record-breaking season with the University of Connecticut women's ice hockey team. The award was given out by the league office at the Hockey East banquet on Friday night.

Thibault is UConn's first ever Player of the Year as she finished the regular season with a league-high 48 points, including 24 goals and 24 assists, while leading the Huskies in goals and points this season. With her efforts, she also earned a spot on the All-Hockey East First Team. Thibault has also picked up a new program record of points in a single season with her 48 this year. She is currently in third place among UConn’s all-time scoring leaders, with 38 career goals. With 73 points in her two years at UConn, she moves up in the UConn record books to third place in career points.

The sophomore phenom will lead the second-seeded Huskies, currently 22-7-5 overall, against the third-seeded Friars (15-15-4) in the Hockey East semifinals on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum.

Senior Jaclyn Hawkins (Manotick, Ont.) also finished the regular season on a successful note, recording a league and team-high 26 assists, while being named to the All-Hockey East Second Team. With 40 points (14g, 26a) this season for the Huskies, Hawkins improves her overall career statistics to 69 goals and 74 assists, good for a program-leading 143 career points. The co-captain owns the top spot in each position player category for the Huskies in the UConn women’s ice hockey all-time career record books while she currently leads all Huskies in points, goals scored and assists in a career while taking the top spot in goals scored and assists in a single season. Hawkins' 26 assists this year is a new program season-high, beating out her 18 assists during the 2006-07 season. Hawkins is also the first UConn player in the history of the program to earn the Hockey East Sportsmanship Award.

Freshman Jennifer Chaisson (Cumberland, Ont.) finished her first collegiate year with 21 points (7g, 14a) as a Husky. Fellow classmate Jody Sydor (St. Albert, Alta.) also had a successful freshman campaign on defense as she scored three goals and picked up seven assists in 34 games played for the UConn program. With their performances, both earned a spot on the Hockey East Mission All-Rookie Team.

Two other Huskies were recognized for their immense effort this season, as sophomore Cristin Allen (Pickering, Ont.) and junior Samantha Reid (Innisfil, Ont.) were named Honorable Mention for the Hockey East this season. Reid finished the regular season with 15 points, including six goals and nine assists. Her final marks led her amongst all UConn defenders in goals scored, assists and points. Allen finished the year with four goals scored and six assists in 31 games played.

-UCONN-