Sarah Fillier of Princeton Is Chosen Women's National Rookie of the Year
Thursday, March 21, 2019
In a vote of assistant coaches at the nation's NCAA Division I ice hockey programs, Princeton University freshman forward Sarah Fillier has been named the 2018-19 National Rookie of the Year in women's ice hockey. A native of Georgetown, Ontario, Fillier led Princeton in scoring with a line of 22-35-57 in 29 games. Her assists per game and points per game led the entire NCAA, as did her 21 power play points. Overall, she was fourth in the nation in total points and total assists.
Behind Fillier's heroics, the Tigers enjoyed a 20-8-5 season, the final game being a 5-2 NCAA Quarterfinal loss at #2 Minnesota. Fillier had both Princeton goals.
Said Princeton head coach Cara Morey, "Sarah is one of the best 200-foot centers in our game. She is threatening offensively and is also responsible on the defensive side of play. She is one of the smoothest skaters I have ever seen, and it often appears as though she's hovering above the ice. She has breakaway speed which allows her to pull away from opponents. Her instincts are like no other player in the NCAA; Sarah always seems to be around the puck. Sarah is a prolific goal scorer, netting 22 goals in just 29 games this season, but she is an even better play maker which is evident by her 1.21 assists per game this year. Sarah is the best player on the ice, but above all, she is also an amazing teammate off the ice."
The ballot for this award is made up of the conference Rookie of the Year selections. Each program playing NCAA Division I women's ice hockey receives a ballot, with assistant coaches at each school submitting one ballot per school. Each school was asked to vote for three players in order (first, second, third). The runner-up for this year's award was Northeastern University's freshman forward Alina Mueller of Winterthur, Switzerland.
The Women's National Rookie of the Year was established in 2014 by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association. Previous winners are Dani Cameranesi of Minnesota (2014), Annie Pankowski of Wisconsin (2015), Sarah Potomak of Minnesota (2016), Jaycee Gebhard of Robert Morris (2017) and Darryl Watts of Boston College (2018). A similar award, the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year Award, is presented by the men's commissioners and will be announced on April 12.
