Laura's mother, Jen Hurd, accepting her Hall of Fame award.
When speaking of greatness in the world of Division III women's ice hockey, only one player comes to mind, and that is the late, great Laura Hurd '05.
Hurd helped lead Soaring Eagles through the rigors of the first four seasons of women's collegiate ice hockey at Elmira College. Hurd led the Elmira women in goals and points in each of her four seasons, the only student-athlete in the program's illustrious history to do so, and was the driving force behind four consecutive ECAC West titles and two NCAA Division III national championships.
Her efforts throughout the years did not go unnoticed. She was a four-time CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American, the only skater in Elmira's history to receive first-team honors four consecutive times. In 2005, Hurd was voted as the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year, the first player in Elmira history to receive the country's top individual honor. On the conference level, Hurd was a two-time ECAC West Player of the Year, a four-time first-team All-Conference honoree, and a member of the All-Rookie team.
Statistically, Hurd was second-to-none during her time and remains as one of the best skaters in Division III history. She finished her four-year career with an astounding 237 points on 120 goals and 117 assists. She owns multiple NCAA Division III records such as single-season points (77), single-season points per game (2.75), single-season goals (40), career points (237), career points per game (2.15), career goals (120), career assists (117), and career assists per game (1.06). Additionally, she led the country in points per game in both her rookie and senior seasons in 2001-02 and 2004-05, respectively.
In Elmira history, Hurd remains as the program's sole leader in single-season points, single-season goals, single-season game-winning goals, career points, career goals, career assists, career game-winning goals, career short-handed goals, and shares the single-season title – with herself – for hat tricks.
Sadly, the world was forced to say goodbye to Hurd much too soon, as she tragically passed away at the age of 24. In honor of her greatness, the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) renamed Division III's top individual accolade in her memory as the Laura Hurd Division III Player of the Year.
