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Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Announces the Semi-Finalists for the 14th Annual Joe Concannon College Hockey Award

List includes prolific scorers and outstanding goaltenders from the D-II and D-III ranks in

BOSTON – February 6, 2014 – Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Bob Norton announced today that 18 NCAA Division II/III players are semi-finalists for the fourteenth Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American- born college hockey player in New England playing at the Division II/III level.

This year’s list comprises 12 dynamic forwards, two offensively talented defensemen and four exceptional goaltenders. The candidates include eight players from the NESCAC conference, five from the ECAC East conference, two from the ECAC Northeast, two from the NE-10 Conference and one from the MASCAC. There are several nominees from nationally ranked teams represented including the ECAC East’s Shane Gorman (Trumbull, CT) from Norwich; Jamie Murray (Scituate, MA) from Babson; Travis Daniel (Scarsdale, NY) and Peter MacIntyre (Norfolk, MA) from -Boston; the NESCAC’s Sean Dougherty (Smithtown, NY) from Williams College; and Jackson Brewer (Newton, MA) and Benjamin Coulthard (South Windsor, CT) from Trinity College.

From the NESCAC Conference, four additional institutions are represented with worthy nominees, and all have been major components in their team’s success. Seniors Ben Chwick (Purchase, NY) and Nick Lanza (Rocky Hill, CT) lead the Mules of Colby College in scoring and have provided great leadership to a young and revitalized team competing near the top of the conference standings. Lanza is a repeat nominee from 2013. Junior JC Cangelosi (Estero, FL) has led the offense for a surging squad making a push for the playoffs. Among the leaders in defenseman scoring, Amherst’s Aaron Deutsch (Lloyd Harbor, NY) leads his team in scoring and has been a key contributor in all three zones for the Lord Jeffs. The final NESCAC nominee is senior Colin Downey (East Sandwich, MA) from Bowdoin College. Colin has been a consistent performer whether as a forward or from the back line for all Polar Bear opponents to respect.

The remaining representative from ECAC East is the first-ever nominee from the University of New England in Maine. Junior forward Jared Melman (San Jose, CA) leads the Nor’easters in scoring and has been a key factor in upset wins over Babson, Skidmore and Castleton this season.

The nominees from the ECAC Northeast Conference are the offensive and defensive stalwarts from the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats. Sophomore forward Josh Obregon (Omaha, NE) has been a strong and consistent offensive performer including scoring five game-winning goals for the Wildcats this season. In goal, freshman Joey Ballmer (Kalamazoo, MI) is among the nation’s leading goaltenders with a .945 save percentage and 15 wins for J&W.

The MASCAC Conference is represented by senior forward Brendan McCarron (Millbury, MA) from Framingham State University. McCarron has doubled his career goal total in just this season to help lead the Rams in battling among the conference leaders in the MASCAC.

Lastly, the representatives from the D-II ranks and NE-10 include a pair of forwards who are leading their teams towards legitimate challenges for the NE-10 championship. Sophomore forward Joe Collins (Mansfield, MA) has already surpassed the 30 point plateau for Southern New Hampshire University while senior Bryan Rooney (Canton, MA) has led his towards an end-of-season battle with St. Anselm for the top seed in the post-season tournament.

“There really aren’t any more upsets, either in or outside of conference play, as the level of competition this season has truly been amazing,” said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello. “There have been a number of different teams in and out of the national rankings this season, and the consideration we’re seen across all of the conferences reflects the high level of play and talent found in New England. Our committee believes this is another outstanding group of semifinalists. It will be a challenge for the committee to pick the winner from the players nominated.”

Gridiron Club Announces 2014 Joe Concannon Award Semi-Finalists Page 2

The Gridiron Club plans to announce the finalists and winner of the 14th Joe Concannon Award in March, prior to the start of NCAA Frozen Four Tournament play on March 21st and present the award during the New England Hockey Writers dinner in April.

Joe Concannon Award Winners

2001 Keith Aucoin Norwich University 2002 Michael Carosi Bowdoin College 2003 Nick Stauder Salem State College 2004 Jim Pancyzkowski Michael O’Sullivan 2005 Brian Doherty Curry College Joseph Ori Trinity College 2006 Adam Dann Bowdoin College 2007 Greg Osborne Colby College 2008 Tom Maldonado Middlebury College 2009 Jeff Landers 2010 Coleman Noonan St. Anselm College 2011 Josh Harris Castleton College 2012 Jeremiah Ketts Johnson & Wales University 2013 Colin Mulvey Norwich University

The Joe Concannon Award The Gridiron Club established the Joe Concannon Award in 2001 to honor Joe, a lifelong devotee of college hockey, former member of the Walter Brown Award Selection Committee and, as a journalist, a staunch advocate for the amateur athletes he knew and covered. A native of Litchfield, Connecticut, Joe graduated from Boston University in 1961. He served as sports information director (SID) at Holy Cross before joining the Boston Globe in the late 1960’s to cover college sports. Joe declined frequent invitations by his editors to write about Boston’s major professional sports teams, preferring to concentrate on the colleges, distance running and golf. He wrote the book Marathoning with Bill Rodgers and established the highly successful Litchfield Road Race in his hometown. Joe was a world traveler and was especially proud of his Irish heritage, frequently sojourning to the Emerald Isle. He passed away in 2000.

2013-2014 Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Officers: Bob Norton, President; Jim Kearney, First Vice President; Tom Lamb, Second Vice President; Dick Lawrence, Secretary/Treasurer.

2013-2014 Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Selection Committee and Advisory Board: Tim Costello, Chairman; Joe Bertagna, Tom Burke, Jim Connelly, Ned Cully, Bob DeGregorio, Kevin Fleming, Steve Hagwell, Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Hon. Gordon A. Martin, Jr., Paul McNamara, and William J. Stewart III.

Press Contacts: Tim Costello, Committee Chairman Phone: 732-425-5922 [email protected] Tom Burke, Communications Director Phone: 617-323-5694 [email protected]