SAINT PETER, MINN. – Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey senior defender Courtney Boucher (Hastings, Minn.) was named to the 2015 CCM Division III Women’s Hockey All-American Team that was released last evening. Boucher, who earned second team recognition, is Gustavus’s first women’s hockey player to take home All-American honors since Lindsey Hjelm and Kelsey Kennedy did so following the 2012-13 season, and is the 14th player in program history to earn the prestigious accolade.
Boucher, who also received her second consecutive All-MIAC selection three weeks ago, proved to be one of the most versatile blueliners in the league after making the switch from forward to defender before her junior season. The senior co-captain anchored one of the top-ranked defensive units in NCAA Division III, as Gustavus ranked fifth nationally in goals against average with 1.58 and killed penalties at an 87.2 percent rate. This season, Boucher tallied five goals to go along with nine assists, which was good for second in the MIAC in defender scoring. For her career, she played in 112 career games, scoring 20 goals and making 37 assists for 57 total points. During her tenure, Gustavus earned two trips to the NCAA National Championships where it took fourth place both times, won three MIAC regular season titles and two MIAC playoff titles.
“I’m very happy for Courtney,” said Gustavus head coach Mike Carroll. “Courtney was one of our leaders; she led by example and was consistently trying to help our team reach one common goal. It’s great for her individually and for our program and it’s especially rewarding after we asked her to switch positions before her junior year. She really embraced that and that says a lot about the type of team player she was. I’m very proud of her and we’re really going to miss her going forward.”
Boucher was one of six players from the state of Minnesota and one of four from the MIAC to earn All-American honors. Megan Juricko of the University of St. Thomas, Madison Gendreau of Concordia College and Kathryn Larson of Bethel University were Boucher’s fellow conference honorees, while Chloe Kinsel of UW-River Falls, Lindsey Brown of Saint Anselm College and Kaycie Anderson of Norwich University were the other selections from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.