Jessica Vetter

Jessie Vetter (born December 19, 1985) is a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She was also a member of the 2008–09 Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey team, which won an NCAA title. She was drafted 20th overall by the Boston Blades in the 2011 CWHL Draft.^[1]

Playing career

Vetter played as a goalkeeper on the boys hockey team at Monona Grove High School and won three state girls' soccer championships. While in high school, she was a four-time all-conference selection and a three-time all-state pick in soccer.^[2]

Wisconsin Badgers

In her four year NCAA career, Vetter won an NCAA record 91 games (since broken by Hillary Pattenden^[3]) during her four-year career and posted a NCAA-record 39 career shutouts.^[4] She also holds the record for most goalie shutouts in one season with 14 (accomplished in 2008-09).^[5]

In her senior year at Wisconsin, Vetter went 30-2-5 with a 1.33 GAA, (2nd NCAA) and 0.936 Save percentage, (2nd NCAA). She also finished second in the NCAA in minutes played with 2162:16. She is a 2009 WCHA first team honouree, an all-tournament honoree, and the WCHA Final Face-Off MVP as Wisconsin won the League championship and garnered the top seed going into the NCAA championships.^[6]

• In 2006, she became the first goalie to record a Frozen Four shutout when she notched two.^[7]
• In 2006-07, Vetter and Christine Dufour combined for 15 shutouts. Vetter was voted the top goalie and had a 1.24 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932.^[8]
• Vetter broke the NCAA single-season goals-against average record with a mark of 0.83 in 2006-07. As a result, that made her the first goalie in NCAA history to post a GAA below 1.00.^[9] In that same season, Vetter recorded a shutout streak that reached 448 minutes and 32 seconds - the longest not only in NCAA women’s hockey history but also in men’s history.
• Vetter won 31 games and had 13 shutouts during the 2008-09 season.^[10]
• She was the first ice hockey player to be named the Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation.^[11]

International career

At the 2009 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships, she allowed just a single goal. In addition, Vetter was the starting goalkeeper when the US won the 2008 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships.^[12] Vetter collected a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and fetched for the final tips by former NHL Goalie Mike Richter.^[13] In the gold medal game of the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship against Canada, Vetter made 51 saves as the US won its third consecutive gold medal.^[14]

Coaching career

In 2010-11, Vetter was an assistant coach for Madison (Wis.) Capitols 19-Under Tier I squad.^[15] Her squad played in the USA Hockey National Championships from April 6–10.

Jessie Vetter Award

The Jessie Vetter Award was introduced in 2010. It is awarded to the top female ice hockey goaltender in Wisconsin prep school. A list of winners includes:

Awards and honors

• WCHA Goalie of the Year (2007)
• All-WCHA First Team (2007)
• All-WCHA Academic Team (2007)
• NCAA Women's Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player (2006, 2009)^[17]
• WCHA Top 10 Players from the 2000s^[18]
• Patty Kazmaier Award^[19]
• Sportswoman of the Year at the Women's Sports Foundation's 30th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Dinner: (Awarded Oct. 14, 2009)^[20]
• 2009 USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year Award (also known as the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year award) ^[21]
• On September 22, 2010, Vetter and Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Miller Park before the Milwaukee Brewers/Cincinnati Reds game.^[22]
• Most Valuable Player, 2011 4 Nations Cup^[23]

References