Natalie Darwitz

Natalie Darwitz
Born (1983-10-13) October 13, 1983
Saint Paul, MN, USA
Height 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Weight 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Right
Played for Minnesota Golden Gophers
National team  United States
Playing career 19982010
Website Official Site

Natalie Rose Darwitz (born October 13, 1983) is an American ice hockey player. Natalie was the Captain of the US Women's National Team for several seasons beginning with the 2007-08 season. She has won three World Championships since 2005 and has two Olympic Silver medals and one Bronze medal in Women's Ice Hockey for the US.

Career biography

Darwitz began skating at the age of five, and now at 25 is a veteran of ten years on the US National Team. Over the past seven years, she has competed in two Olympics (including leading the '02 Olympics in goal scoring and the '06 games with the game-winning assist in the bronze-medal game. In three years of NCAA Hockey at her alma mater, Minnesota, she won back-to-back national championships, scored the championship goal in her final game with 1:08 to go versus Harvard (4-3), won the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship Frozen Four, was named US Women's Player of the Year) and competed in an additional three IIHF Women's World Championship (gold in 2005 & 2008).

At the '08 Worlds, Darwitz led the tournament in scoring and was named the Best Forward in the World by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Additionally, Darwitz was awarded the Bob Johnson Award by USA Hockey as the best male or female player representing the United States in international play. The award is named after the late coach "Badger" Bob Johnson.

She helped the USA Women's Team in Vancouver win the Silver medal, while acting as a guiding hand and voice for the sport. At home in Minnesota, Darwitz has coached women's ice hockey at her alma mater, Eagan High School, where she was an assistant coach with her father (Scott) helping guide Eagan to the Minnesota HSH State Championship Tournament for the first time in 4 years during the 2007-08 campaign in her first year on the job.

In August ‘08, Darwitz was named Assistant Coach of her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, Golden Gopher Women's ice hockey team and has balanced her time as a member of the US National Team. She is based in Blaine, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis-St Paul). At the conclusion of the 08-09 NCAA campaign, Darwitz returned as a full-time member of the US National Team and be strictly devoted to the 2010 Games.

Currently, Darwitz has an equipment deal with Easton Hockey and a jewelry deal with Energy Muse. In 2008, she became a blogger for the Minneapolis StarTribune.

In May 2009, Darwitz was a featured athlete at the NBC/USOC promotional shoot for the Olympics.

Darwitz retired her position as Assistant Coach at the University of Minnesota. On August 2 of 2011, she announced her new position as the Head Coach of the Lakeville South High School Girls' ice hockey team.[1] Head Coach Darwitz and the Lakeville South Cougars finished the 2011/2012 season with an impressive record of 21-1-6.[2] Darwitz returned to the Lakeville South Cougars for the 2012/2013 season with her father, Scott Darwitz, by her side as the new Assistant Coach. The Lakeville South Cougars ended the 2012/2013 season with a record of 16-2-9.[3]

Personal life

In her free time, Darwitz enjoys to be outdoors boating on the lakes in her native Minnesota, but also likes to surf in Southern California and Mexico with her husband. She is the youngest of three children (Nikki and Ryan), her parents are Scott and Nancy.

World championship biography

2005, 2008 & 2009 World Champion

1999, 2000. 2001, 2004, 2007 Silver Medallist

The IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship is the premier international tournament in Women's ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The official world competition was first held in 1990. With the inception of women's hockey in the Winter Olympics in 1998, the tournament is not held in Olympic years. Darwitz was the second leading scorer at the 2009 IIHF tournament with 10 points (three goals, seven assists).[4]

Collegiate biography

Credit College Experience to USA Hockey 2008 Women's Select Team Guide

Finished her three-season collegiate career as the University of Minnesota’s (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) career points (246) and assists (144) leader … Was a three-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and a three-time All-American.

As a Junior (2004–05): Set an NCAA single-season record with 114 points[5] (42-72) in 40 games … Led the nation in points per game (2.85) and assists (72) … Set a tournament record with nine points (3-6) in two games at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four … In the final game, scored the go- ahead goal with under a minute remaining to give Minnesota its second straight national title … Named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and garnered All-America First Team honors … Top-three finalist for the 2005 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

As a Sophomore (2003–04): All- America Second Team selection … 2004 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist … First Team All-WCHA selection … Named to the WCHA All-Academic and Academic All-Big Ten teams … Tied for second on the team in points (64), despite missing 10 games with an injury … Second in goals (27) and assists (37)… Had a WCHA-best 28 power-play points (10-18) … Three-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week … Named to the WCHA All-Tournament Team … Scored her fourth hat trick of the season to lead the team to victory in the national title game … Named to the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.

As a Freshman (2002–03): All-America First Team selection … 2003 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist … WCHA Rookie of the Year … Team scoring leader (33-35–68) … First-Team All-WCHA selection and WCHA All-Rookie honoree..

Accomplishments and notes

Media/national publicity biography

Personal

Career statistics

    Regular season  
Season Team League GP G A Pts
1998 United States Three Nations Cup Nat-Tm 4 0 0 0
1999 United States Under-22 Series Nat-Tm 3 1 0 1
1999 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 2 1 3
2000 United States Under -22 Series Nat-Tm 3 0 1 1
2000 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 2 6 8
2000-01 United States Women's National Team Nat-Tm 32 17 18 35
2001 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 3 1 4
2001-02 United States Visa Skate to Salt Lake Team Nat-Tm 30 17 21 38
2002 United States Olympic Team - Salt Lake City Nat-Tm 5 7 1 8
2002-03 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 33 33 35 68
2003 United States Four Nations Team Nat-Tm 4 2 1 3
2003 United States Under -22 Team Nat-Tm 3 2 3 5
2003-04 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 26 27 37 64
2004 United States Four Nations Team Nat-Tm 4 1 3 4
2004 United States Under -22 Team Nat-Tm 3 0 2 2
2004 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 7 3 10
2004-05 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 40 42 72 114
2005 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 2 2 4
2005-06 United States Hilton Family Skate Team Nat-Tm 18 9 7 16
2006 United States Four Nations Team Nat-Tm 4 3 6 9
2006 United States Olympic Team - Torino Nat-Tm 5 3 3 6
2006-07 Minnesota Whitecaps WWHL 13 11 10 21
2007 United States Four Nations Team Nat-Tm 4 1 2 3
2007 United States World Championship Team Nat-Tm 5 4 5 9
2007-08 Minnesota Whitecaps WWHL 7 4 7 11
2008 United States Four Nations Team Nat-Tm 4 3 1 4

Sources

References

Preceded by
Hayley Wickenheiser (2007)
IIHF World Women's Championships Best Forward
2008
Succeeded by
Hayley Wickenheiser (2009)
Preceded by
Krissy Wendell (2006)
Captain, United States Olympic Hockey Team
2010
Succeeded by
Unknown (2014)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.