Jocelyne Lamoureux has earned a trip to Duluth.
The UND junior forward hopes she'll have a busload of teammates coming with her.
Lamoureux was named one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which goes to the women's college hockey player of the year. The award will be given out on March 17 as part of the NCAA Frozen Four festivities in Duluth.
Lamoureux, who leads the nation in points (82), points per game (2.34) and assists (48), has her sights set on this Saturday, when UND takes on Minnesota at 4 p.m. with a Frozen Four berth on the line.
"It would definitely be more appreciated it our team was there," Lamoureux said. "The individual stuff means something, but not as much if the team's not winning.
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"I know I mentioned this last week, but I remember when (Ryan) Duncan was in (St. Louis) when he won the Hobey Baker. He was very grateful for the award, but he would have done anything to be playing in the championship."
The other finalists for the award are Wisconsin junior forward Brianna Decker, who was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, and Northeastern senior goalie Florence Schelling.
Decker's Badgers take on Mercyhurst in a quarterfinal game Saturday. Northeastern didn't make the NCAA tournament.
Lamoureux's twin sister, Monique Lamoureux-Kolls, was previously one of 10 finalists for the award, but didn't make the cut down to the final three. Lamoureux-Kolls is the leading defenseman scorer in the country.
The Lamoureux twins were UND's first Patty Kazmaier Award finalists. Their older brother, Jean-Philippe, was a Hobey Baker Award finalist on the men's side, which has two winners of the award -- Tony Hrkac (1987) and Ryan Duncan (2007).
Lamoureux is bidding to become the first national player of the year on the women's side.
"First and foremost, it's a nice accolade for her," UND coach Brian Idalski said. "She's had a terrific season numerically and she's meant so much to our team. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed -- the leadership aspects, how much she's grown, how much she's become a complete player, how she's making people better around her.
"She's maturing overall, especially with cutting down her penalty minutes and playing with composure. She's close to being an absolute complete player."
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Like the Hobey, the Patty Kazmaier Award takes into account off-the-ice accomplishments, which should help Lamoureux. She won the league's student-athlete of the year award, posting a 3.8 grade-point average. She's scheduled to graduate this spring and start graduate courses next year.
The final votes for the award were cast on Monday, but the winner won't be revealed until the March 17 brunch.
"It's very humbling," Lamoureux said. "To be considered among the top players in the country, it's just a testament to where the program is heading. The top programs in the country are the ones putting players in the top 10 and the top three."
But for now, Lamoureux's focus is on Saturday's game against the Gophers.
"It's going to be a big game obviously," she said. "We live to see another day after last weekend's performance. You don't come by these second chances too often. There really is no tomorrow if you don't come out and play well. We've got to stick to our guns and stick to what we do well."
Reach Schlossman at (701) 780-1129; (800) 477-6572, ext. 129; or send e-mail to bschlossman@gfherald.com .
