Kilpatrick Selected For Frozen Four Skills Challenge

This season has been remarkable for senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick, who thought he might miss the first two months of the season because of hip surgery in August. Instead, the New Prague, Minn., native returned in the third game and is second on the team in goals and third in points. The NCAA announced this morning that Kilpatrick will be at the Frozen Four even if the Tigers aren't.

NCAA Announces 2008 Frozen Four Skills Challenge Participants
WCHA Players Include CC’s Kilpatrick, DU’s Thomas & Mannino; OSU’s Bonhomme, UM’s Ross, UMD’s Demeule, MSU’s Kehler, SCSU’s Fast

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA has announced the participants for the third annual Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which will be held April 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The competition will be conducted in an East versus West format with each team having six male position players, six female position players, two male goaltenders and two female goaltenders. An alternate list has been established in the event that players have to withdraw from the competition due to other commitments, such as their team’s participation in the Men's Frozen Four.

To be eligible, all players must have exhausted their collegiate eligibility and be nominated by their head coach. The players were selected by representatives from the American Hockey Coaches Association, the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee and NCAA national office staff. The competitions will include puck control relay, fastest skater, hardest shot, rapid fire shooting, accuracy shooting and penalty shot. Each competitor will receive a complete set of equipment and a full uniform from Nike Bauer Hockey.

"The Frozen Four Skills Challenge has really taken off as an event," said Joel Maturi, chair of the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee and director of athletics at the University of Minnesota. "Each year the caliber of the student-athletes in this competition has gotten stronger and stronger, and we feel this year is no different. The Skills Challenge will once again be a showcase of the nation’s best senior student-athletes."

The men's portion of the East squad is highlighted by the one of the nation's current leading goaltenders, Kevin Regan of New Hampshire. The other goaltender is David Leggio from Clarkson. The six male skaters on the East squad include Luke Flicek, Army; Michael Brennan, Boston College; Pete MacArthur, Boston University; Jesse Winchester, Colgate; Jon Rheault, Providence and Jake Morissette, RPI.

The female skaters on the East squad include Hayley Moore, Brown; Jaclyn Hawkins, Connecticut; Martine Garland, New Hampshire; Jennifer Hitchcock, New Hampshire; Marykate Oakley, Princeton and Sabrina Harbec, St. Lawrence. The goalies will be Sarah Perry, Sacred Heart and Meghan Guckian, St. Lawrence.

The West team is led by the nation’s leading point scorer, Michigan’s Kevin Porter, who has 51 points on 25 goals and 26 assists. The rest of the skaters include Jimmy Kilpatrick, Colorado College; Andrew Thomas, Denver; Bryan Lerg, Michigan State; Tommy Goebel, Ohio State and Mike Forgie, Wayne State (Mich.). The West goaltenders will be St. Norbert’s Kyle Jones, who leads Division III with a goals against average of 1.18, and Denver’s Peter Mannino, who was the 2006 Men’s Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.

The women's portion of the West roster includes Ohio State’s Tessa Bonhomme, who is in the top 10 in the nation in assists with 27. Also on the team is Courtney DeHoey, Lake Forest; Karine Demeule, Minnesota Duluth; Bobbi Ross, Minnesota; Shannon Moulson, Niagara and Laura Fast, St. Cloud State. The two female goaltenders will be Laura Hosier, Mercyhurst and Britni Kehler, Minnesota State, Mankato.

Tickets for the event are $10 and will go on sale March 1 at the Pepsi Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 303/830-8497. The Frozen Four Skills Challenge will begin at 7 p.m. Mountain time and will be preceded by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award at 5:30 p.m. and the Hockey Humanitarian Award at 6:05 p.m. The Frozen Four Skills Challenge and the Hobey Baker Award will both be shown live on ESPNU.