AMHERST, MASS. - SUNY Potsdam senior women's hockey player Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla, Alaska/Anchorage North Stars) has been named to the 2022-23 CCM Hockey/AHCA Division II-III All-American Hockey Teams. She has earned a spot on the East's first team. Merrill is the first in program history to earn the honor.

The Bears captain was named the Northeast Women's Hockey League's Player of the Year on March 3, a day after earning a spot on the all-conference first team. On Monday, she was announced as a finalist for the Laura Hurd Award, given annually to the best NCAA Division III women's ice hockey player in the country. Yesterday, she was named the NEWHL's Scholar-Athlete off the Year.

Merrill, an exercise science major, led the NEWHL in points (39) and goals (27) this season. The performance broke Potsdam's NCAA-era single-season scoring record of 36 points. The forward ranked fourth in the nation in goals-per-game this season at 1.08. Her 1.56 points-per-game was eighth best in the country.

Merrill recorded 10 multi-goal games this season, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory at Buffalo State on January 7. The forward also had six game-winning-goals.

In her three-year career, Merrill has earned NEWHL Player of the Week four times with three of them coming this season. She was a member of the conference's all-rookie team as a freshman and was second team All-NEWHL last season. In 74 career games, Merrill has amassed 56 goals and 20 assists for 76 points. She ranks second only to Bears Hall of Famer Jordan Ott '17 in goals and points.

Merrill is the first Bear since men's lacrosse player Josh Huiatt '21 to earned All-American status in 2021. She also joins women's soccer player Brooke Falsion-Mitchell '19, cross country runner Jodie Schoppmann-Robertson '06 (2004) and diver Kari Herlihy '01 (2000) as the only women All-Americans in Potsdam history.