It's Frozen Four Time

Western New York Girls Hockey will be featured for the first time during the Sixth Annual Scotty Bowman Showcase set for Sunday, March 29, at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY.

The Showcase consists of two all-star hockey games between high school aged boys players from Buffalo and their rivals from Rochester.

This year, with the strong effort in Western New York to ice a Varsity Girls Ice Hockey League next fall, there have been a number of showcase girl's games played. Thus a 20 minute Girls Showcase will be held between the boy's games and will feature some of the top local high school girl's players from the Buffalo area.

We urge support for both the boys and girls. Tickets are only $5 with the puck being dropped at 6 p.m. between the juniors followed by the girl's showcase game and an 8:30 p.m. game between the seniors.

Also a congratulations to the girl's teams from the Western New York area who took in the New York State Championships this past weekend. Girls from the Niagara Purple Eagles and Buffalo Bisons organizations registered wins. I'll have more on that as results come in.

The Frozen Four for women's ice hockey is upon us. The NCAA has announced the following will take part in the Fifth Annual Frozen Four Skills Challenge to be held April 9 at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan. The women's East squad will include Boston University's Melissa Anderson; Harvard's Anna McDonald, from Dartmouth, Sarah Parsons, Kelly Patron of New Hampshire, Britini Smith, St. Lawrence and Allie Thunstrom, Boston College. In goal will be Brittony Chartier, St. Lawrence and Melissa Haber, Boston University. From the West are Kelli Blankenship, Minnesota; Rachel Davis, Ohio State; Caitlin Hogan, St. Cloud State, Kyla Sanders, Wisconsin; Chelsea Walkland, Robert Morris and Ashley Young Minnesota State/Mankato. The two goalies are Lauren Bradel, St. Thomas/Minnesota and Lindsey Park, Wayne State.

The finalists for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award are Vicki Bendus of Mercyhurst College. Kelly Paton, University of New Hampshire and Noora Raty, University of Minnesota.

The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is presented annual to an outstanding female hockey player who best exemplifies Patty Kazmaier. The criteria include outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and the love of hockey. There is also consideration for academic achievement civic involvement.

Kazmaier was a four-year varsity letter winner and All-Ivy League defenseman for Princeton University from 1981 to 1986. She passed away in 1990 after a long struggle with a rare blood disease.