NCHA RELEASE

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – For the second time in program history, The College of St. Scholastica can boast the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Women's Hockey Player of the Year as sophomore Rachel Anderson (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) earned that distinction, the league announced Wednesday. For the first time, Head Coach Jackie MacMillan was named the NCHA Coach of the Year.
 
Anderson Player of the Year
Anderson is the first non-senior to win the league's highest honor since 2014 and just the fourth in the last 12 years. Nina Waidacher in 2015 is the only other Saint to earn NCHA Player of the Year accolades.
 
Anderson set a single-season program record this season with 42 points and is currently tied for the program mark for assists with 30. She is tied with the conference lead with five game-winning goals, including two of those five game-winners coming in 1-0 outcomes.
 
Anderson posted multi-point games 14 times. Nine of those came in games decided by three goals or less. In 27 games, Anderson recorded at least a point in all, but five. Nearly half of the Saints' goals this year included Anderson with the goal or an assist.
 
MacMillan Coach of the Year
In her ninth season and the only women's hockey head coach in St. Scholastica's history, MacMillan earns NCHA Coach of the Year honors for the first time. After setting a program record with 16 wins a season ago, MacMillan has guided the Saints to another level in 2018-19 with 20 wins and currently riding a program-record 10-game winning streak. The program achieved its 100^th win under MacMillan to open the 2018-19 season and tied its best-ever regular season NCHA finish, by placing second.
 
First Team All-NCHA
Joining Anderson on the All-NCHA Team are senior forward Alexia Klaas (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS (Minnesota-Duluth)), sophomore forward Taylor Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS), junior defenseman Greta Nundahl (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) and junior goaltender Lexi Thomeczek (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis AAA Blues)). All five earn All-NCHA honors for the first time in their careers. The five All-NCHA honors are also a program-best.
 
Klaas leads the Saints with 14 goals and ranks second with 31 points. She scored 13 of her 14 goals in conference-play, which tied for a league-high and led the NCHA with three short-handed goals in conference action. During the season, she became just the third player in program history to record at least 40 goals and 30 assists in a career and did that in only three seasons.
 
Thompson was another 30-point scorer for the Saints with 11 goals and 19 assists. Her 19 assists ranks third in the league, while she tied with Anderson with a conference-best 12 power-play points. Thompson scored four goals on the power-play in NCHA action, which tied for second in the league.
 
Nundahl finished second among NCHA defensemen with 18 points. Her eight goals are the most by a conference defenseman. In conference play, Nundahl finished tied for fourth with seven points, including three goals on the power-play.
 
Thomeczek is having her best season as a Saint. She ranks third in the conference with a 1.62 goals-against-average and a .948 save percentage. She leads all NCHA goaltenders with 14 wins and has the second-most shutouts in the league with six. She has already set program records for shutouts in a career and a season, while also being a win away from setting a single-season mark.
 
Tilander All-Freshman Team
Forward Amber Tilander (International Falls, Minn./Falls HS) was named to the NCHA All-Freshman Team. Tilander leads all NCHA rookies with 18 points on nine goals and nine assists. She is tied for third in the league with four game-winning goals.
 
Other Postseason Awards
Trine University (Ind.) forward Theresa DiMaggio was named the NCHA Freshman of the Year.