Minnesota Gophers senior forward, Taylor Heise, was awarded the highest individual honor in women’s hockey on March 26, the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is given to the top player in collegiate women’s hockey.
“We are absolutely thrilled for Taylor, her family, teammates and our program,” Gophers head coach Brad Frost told gophersports.com. “Taylor embodies what Patty was all about and we are so happy for her. To add her name to the likes of Wendell and Kessel, as past winners from the University of Minnesota, speaks volumes to the season that Taylor had.”
Hailing from the basketball town of Lake City, Minn., which only has one outdoor ice rink, the odds were stacked against Heise from lacing up the skates. The first hockey gear Heise ever used was donated from the Minnesota Wild’s giving back program, since she didn’t have her own. Both her parents and brothers played hoops and it was a 50-50 decision for Heise to play either basketball or hockey in college.
“I had to work harder and convince my parents a little more than the average kid would have to play hockey,” Heise said. “They laughed when I first asked because they thought I was crazy since no one’s ever played hockey in my family.”
Heise open-enrolled into Red Wing High School to play high school hockey since Lake City didn’t play the sport. At Red Wing she most notably won the 2018 Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 season, Heise earned a hefty amount of hardware. She led the nation in scoring with 29 goals and 37 assists totalling 66 points. She was a three-time WCHA Forward of the Month and two-time HCA Player of the Month. Heise finished the season with First-Team All-American, WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Scoring Champion honors.
Heise attributes her improved play to a chip on her shoulder as the Gophers were not named as an NCAA Tournament team to finish out the 2020-21 season. It was the first time Minnesota missed the postseason since 2007.
“After not getting a bid last year, I came in with more of an attitude of wanting to succeed more than ever before,” Heise said. “I think we as a team, even though this year didn’t end the way we wanted it to, we still shocked the nation, especially being number one for many straight weeks.”
Linemates and roommates of Heise, seniors Abigail Boreen and Catie Skaja also improved this season. In a shortened 2020-21 season, Boreen earned 11 points on the season while Skaja only accumulated six.
In 2021-22 both players exploded past those numbers, with Boreen scoring 59 points and Skaja scoring 47. Heise, Boreen and Skaja combined for 172 points this season, the most out of any line in the nation.
“I’m just grateful to be alongside them and they just needed a little kick of confidence,” Heise said. “I’m hoping that I was a part of helping them with that this year, they’re my best friends and when you have them as your linemates it makes everything on the ice better.”
After winning the Patty Kazmaier award, Heise and her family went to eat at Blue Door Pub, in honor of her always consuming a burger a day before every hockey game she plays. She later came back to her house on campus, nicknamed “Treehouse”, where ten women’s hockey players live and regularly partake in movie nights, bonfires and rollerblading.
“My whole team was there waiting for me…it’s such a heartwarming feeling to see so many people that love and support you show up for you,” Heise said. “You can’t really ask for more than that.”
