Photo by: Bill Prout
Ahola and Kyrkkö Named to HCA Women’s Goalie of the Year Award Watch List
1/14/2025 1:01:00 PM | Women's Hockey
SCSU goaltender duo among 33 athletes named to initial watch list
ST. CLOUD, Minn – St. Cloud State Women's Hockey goaltenders Sanni Ahola (fifth year, Helsinki, Finland) and Emilia Kyrkkö (freshman, Nokia, Finland) have been named to the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Women's Goalie of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the organization on Tuesday.
The HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I Hockey.
Ahola and Kyrkkö are two of seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) players on the 33-member watch list. The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 17 from the United States, nine from Canada and seven from Europe (two from Finland, two from Sweden and one each from Austria, Denmark and Slovenia.)
This season, Ahola has made 12 appearances with 12 starts. She owns a 6-4-2 record, 1.92 goals against average and .924 save percentage. She has also posted two shutouts. Ahola played for Team Finland during the Six Nations Tournament from Dec. 11-15 in her home country. The Helsinki, Finland native was also named to the watch list last season.
In her debut campaign, Kyrkkö has made 11 appearances with 10 starts. She owns a 4-4-2 record, 2.07 goals against average and .926 save percentage, while recording two shutouts. This season, Kyrkkö has been named WCHA Goaltender of the Week twice (Oct. 7 | Oct. 28), WCHA Rookie of the Week (Oct. 21), WCHA Rookie of the Month (October), HCA National Rookie of the Month (October). She also played for Team Finland during the Six Nations Tournament from Dec. 11-15 in her home country.
The initial "Watch List" of outstanding goalies is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.10 or lower or a save percentage of .920 or higher. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.
Previous winners of the HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award are Michelle Pasiechnyk, Clarkson (2024), Gwyneth Philips, Northeastern (Mass.) (2023) and Aerin Frankel, Northeastern (Mass.) (2021 and 2022).
HCA Release (web) | HCA Release (pdf)| WCHA Release
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I Hockey.
Ahola and Kyrkkö are two of seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) players on the 33-member watch list. The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 17 from the United States, nine from Canada and seven from Europe (two from Finland, two from Sweden and one each from Austria, Denmark and Slovenia.)
This season, Ahola has made 12 appearances with 12 starts. She owns a 6-4-2 record, 1.92 goals against average and .924 save percentage. She has also posted two shutouts. Ahola played for Team Finland during the Six Nations Tournament from Dec. 11-15 in her home country. The Helsinki, Finland native was also named to the watch list last season.
In her debut campaign, Kyrkkö has made 11 appearances with 10 starts. She owns a 4-4-2 record, 2.07 goals against average and .926 save percentage, while recording two shutouts. This season, Kyrkkö has been named WCHA Goaltender of the Week twice (Oct. 7 | Oct. 28), WCHA Rookie of the Week (Oct. 21), WCHA Rookie of the Month (October), HCA National Rookie of the Month (October). She also played for Team Finland during the Six Nations Tournament from Dec. 11-15 in her home country.
The initial "Watch List" of outstanding goalies is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.10 or lower or a save percentage of .920 or higher. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.
Previous winners of the HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award are Michelle Pasiechnyk, Clarkson (2024), Gwyneth Philips, Northeastern (Mass.) (2023) and Aerin Frankel, Northeastern (Mass.) (2021 and 2022).
HCA Release (web) | HCA Release (pdf)| WCHA Release
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
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Goaltender
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