Darci Matson
The jaw-dropping statistics Darci Matson of Wasilla piled up for Aurora University as a sophomore sniper reaped rink rewards this week, when she won the Laura Hurd Award as the best player in NCAA Division III women’s hockey and was also voted a First-Team All-American.
Matson, the nation’s leading scorer with dizzying 31-34—65 totals in just 27 games, is the first Alaskan to win the Laura Hurd Award as D-III Player of the Year. The player of the year has been awarded since 2000 and has been called the Laura Hurd Award since 2007. Hurd was a four-time First-Team All-American at Elmira College and the 2006 Player of the Year. That award was renamed after Hurd, who generated a D-III record 237 points in just 100 games, following her death in a car accident in June 2006.
Wasilla’s Kaylee Merrill, a senior at SUNY-Potsdam, was one of 11 finalists for the Laura Hurd Award and also voted First-Team All-American. Both honors are voted on by Division III head coaches.
Matson’s numbers were astonishing even for a woman who was a Second-Team All-American last season as a freshman.
She scored at least one point in 24 of 26 games.
She scored at least one goal in 20 of 26 games.
She delivered eight multiple-goal games.
She started the season with a 13-game point streak in which she racked 20-19—39 totals.
And she reeled off an 11-game goal streak in which she cranked 19 goals.
In 53 career games, Matson has produced 54-51—105 totals.
Kaylee Merrill
And after earning a plus-minus rating of plus-53 this season, this season’s Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year, is plus-83 in those 105 career games.
Matson became the ninth Alaskan to be a two-time hockey All-American and the fourth to do so at the Division II-III level.
Merrill, meanwhile, became the first Potsdam player to be an All-American. The senior captain, who was Player of the Year in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League, earned 27-12—39 totals in 25 games.
Merrill became the 17th Alaskan to earn All-American honors across Division I and Division II/III.
Alaska’s hockey All-Americans
Voted by American Hockey Coaches Association
NCAA Division I
1989 – Kord Cernich (Anchorage), Lake Superior St. D, 1st Team West
1990 – Kord Cernich (Anchorage), Lake Superior St. D, 2nd Team West
1998 – Brian Swanson (Eagle River, Colorado College C, 2nd Team West
1999 – Brian Swanson (Eagle River, Colorado College C, 1st Team West
2000 – Ty Conklin (Anchorage), New Hampshire G, 2nd Team East
2001 – Ty Conklin (Anchorage), New Hampshire G, 1st Team East
2001 – Kerry Weiland (Palmer), Wisconsin D, 2nd Team
2002 – Kerry Weiland (Palmer), Wisconsin D, 1st Team
2005 – Matt Carle (Anchorage), Denver D, 1st Team West
2006 – Matt Carle (Anchorage), Denver D, 1st Team West
2019 – Andrew Shortridge (Anchorage), Quinnipiac G, 2nd Team East
2020 – Jeremy Swayman (Anchorage), Maine G, 1st Team East
NCAA Division II-III
1983 – Ron Benton (Anchorage), UAA G, 2nd Team West
1984 – Ron Benton (Anchorage), UAA G, 2nd Team West
1997 – Forrest Gore (Palmer), Wisconsin-Stevens Point F, 1st Team West
1998 – Forrest Gore (Palmer), Wisconsin-Stevens Point F, 1st Team West
2008 – Jack Wolgemuth (Anchorage), Wisconsin-Stout D, 2nd Team West
2009 – Jack Wolgemuth (Anchorage), Wisconsin-Stout D, 2nd Team West
2013 – Kayla Parsons (Fairbanks), Norwich D, 2nd Team East
2015 – Ryan Cole (Anchorage), Trinity F, 1st Team East
2016 – Erik Cooper (Anchorage), St. Norbert F, 1st Team West
2020 – Christian Hausinger (Anchorage), Wisconsin-River Falls D, 1st Team West
2020 – Jade Meier (Fairbanks), Endicott F, 2nd Team East
2022 – Darci Matson (Wasilla), Aurora F, 2nd Team West
2023 – Darci Matson (Wasilla), Aurora F, 1st Team West
2023 – Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla), SUNY-Potsdam F, 1st Team East