Just when you think the Patty Kazmaier Award has a clear favorite, someone goes and scores a game-winning goal. Or has a two-goal night. Or a four-goal night.
Three forwards from Boston-area schools have dominated the discussion this season for the most prestigious individual honor in women’s hockey. One day, it seems like the obvious favorite is Boston College freshman Daryl Watts. The next, Boston University senior Victoria Bach scores four goals at Yale. The next, BC sophomore Caitrin Lonergan is having a career game.
It’s almost impossible to keep track of who is having the better season. And if one starts to run away with it, that gap closes almost immediately.
Bach’s season has been much needed for the shorthanded Terriers. The junior has been a mainstay on BU’s top line, tallying 48 points as a freshman and 47 as a sophomore. But this season, she’s taken it to a new level.
With 40 points already, Bach has reached a career-high 23 goals, and it’s only halfway through the season. She leads the nation in goals and is one of the only players with four goals in a game this season.
"She’s such a great player," said her linemate and Natick, Mass., native Mary Grace Kelly. "It’s so fun to be able to play with her. A lot of us always joke, just pass it to Bach. She’s so humble, but she’s awesome."
The Terriers struggled early on in the season, with the graduations of Rebecca Russo and Mary Parker and Sammy Davis being injured. While the rest of the team has taken a while to get going, Bach has been a constant.
"I think at the beginning of the year we had a slow start," Bach said. "It wasn’t what we wanted, but it was just adjusting. Having all the new transfers and freshmen, it was just getting used to each other. But now we’re starting to click."
Bach has skated on a line with Rebecca Leslie for the past two seasons, and she’s found chemistry with her fellow Canadian.
"We’re really playing well together overall," Bach said. "We know where to find each other. We’re clicking as a team, and each game we’re getting better and better."
Then, there’s Watts. The freshman has taken the nation by storm, skating on the top line with amassing 47 points and a nation-leading 27 assists. She has a point in every Eagles game this season except one.
The two-time member of Canada’s U-18 team has exploded onto the collegiate scene, and other teams have had no answer for her.
"Daryl’s phenomenal," said Lonergan. "I was fortunate to play with her this fall. She’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with. She can move the puck well and has the best shot I’ve ever seen."
The praise for the freshman was returned about Lonergan. "She’s one of the best players I’ve ever been with," said Watts. "She’s one of the fastest skaters I’ve ever seen. Watching her from the bench is incredible."
Lonergan, a Roslindale, Mass., native, has had a lot of pressure on her to break out with the graduation of so many star scorers. The sophomore tallied 33 points in her first season, and already has 42 this season.
Lonergan has skated primarily as the second-line center, and she’s embraced her role of a relied-upon scorer. "Last year, you come into college and it’s a lot faster and stronger," she said. "You learn what you need to get better at, and this summer I knew I needed to get stronger and fix up a few injuries from last year."
"Both her (Watts) and Caitrin have had a phenomenal year for us," said Eagles coach Katie Crowley (Salem, N.H.). "We hope they continue that in the second half of the year. They’re both very dynamic. Daryl in her first year has been a really good hockey player. Caitrin in her second year has done a great job for us. She’s really exploded this year."
She, like so many others, are still in awe of Watts. The freshman is on pace to shatter records, but there’s still plenty to learn, such as improving on defense and puck control.
And, always humble, she credits her teammates.
"I didn’t really set or have any expectations," Watts said. "I was just so excited to get to BC and play college hockey. I didn’t think I would be this successful, but my teammates have been so amazing."
