April 4, 2005

Providence, R.I. - The Providence College women's ice hockey team announced its annual team awards on Sunday, April 3 in Providence, R.I. at the program's 2005 Awards Banquet.

Junior Karen Thatcher (Douglas, Mass.) received the team Academic Award and was named Most Valuable Player. Thatcher, a biology major, received the Academic Award which is presented to the player with the highest cumulative grade point average from the 2004 spring and fall semesters. There were six other student-athletes in the running for the Academic Award who all posted a 3.00 GPA or higher. Thatcher, the 2004-05 HOCKEY EAST Co-Player of the Year, was voted the team's Most Valuable Player by her teammates. She recorded a single-season career-high of 58 points this season on 25 goals and 33 assists, including a career-high 12-game scoring streak. Thatcher surpassed the 100-point career milestone against conference foe New Hampshire on Sunday, January 30, and ended the season tied with Kathy Lenahan (1979-80) as 13th on PC's all-time single season points list.

Senior captain Danielle Bourgette (Anaheim, Calif.) received the 2005 Captain's Award which is presented annually to the captain of the team in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the team. Bourgette played in all of the team's 37 games this season, tallying 13 points on one goal and 12 assists.

Freshman Rachel Crissy (Naperville, Ill.) earned the team's Most Improved Player award as the player that showed the greatest improvement over the course of the season. She played in 35 of the team's 37 games, scoring eight goals and six assists for 14 points.

Senior Christina Redmond (Dorchester, Mass.) was the recipient of the Coaches' Award. The award is given annually by the members of the coaching staff to the player that the coaches believe made contributions to the success of the team that statistics cannot capture. Redmond played in all 37 games this season. Over her career she has played in 127 games.

Sophomore Kristin Gigliotti (Saquoit, N.Y.) earned the team's Unsung Hero Award as the player who consistently contributed to the team and its success, but did not receive the recognition she deserved. She led all HOCKEY EAST defenders in points and finished fourth on the team in scoring with a single-season career-high of 23 points on six goals and 17 assists. She was named to the HOCKEY EAST All-Tournament Team, and earned Defensive Player of the Week on March 14, as she scored the tournament-winning goal over UConn.

Senior goaltender Amy Thomas (Austin, Texas) was voted the team's Seventh Player as the player who performed above and beyond expectations. Thomas played in 35 of the team's 37 games, which is a record for the number of games played in a season by a goaltender. She also is tied with Shannon Sweezy (1987-91) for second place on PC's all-time goaltending career games played list with 61 games played. She received HOCKEY EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors on November 15, 2004, and was named to the 2005 HOCKEY EAST All-Tournament Team, after allowing just one goal in each of the two tournament games; stopping 42 of 44 shots faced. Thomas finished the season with a 20-10-5 record, a 2.54 goals against average, and a .896 save percentage.

The Friars concluded the season with a 21-11-5 overall record and 14-4-2 mark in HOCKEY EAST. Providence captured its third-consecutive HOCKEY EAST title, second regular season title, and its first NCAA Quarterfinals invite.