Bob Weiss, president of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, announced today that Boston College senior Mike Mottau has been named the winner of the 48th Walter Brown Award, given annually to New England’s outstanding American-born college hockey player. The award will be presented to Mottau at the New England Hockey Writers’ Dinner on April 11 in Saugus, Massachusetts.
Mottau, a defenseman from Avon, Massachusetts, is the 18th Boston College athlete to receive the Walter Brown Award and only the fourth player in history to be named the recipient for a second time. Bob Cleary of Harvard won it in 1957 and 1958; Tim Sheehy of Boston College was the recipient in 1968 and 1970; and Chris Drury of Boston University received the honor in 1997 and 1998. Mottau was co-winner in 1999 along with Mike Omicioli of Providence College.
“The selection committee takes many factors into consideration,” said Ned Cully, Gridiron Club first vice president and committee chairman. “Athletic ability and achievement, sportsmanship, personal character, leadership and consistent contribution to the team’s success over a period of years are all factors. Mike is the captain and acknowledged leader of this BC team that has made it to the final round of the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive years. He also holds a number of individual records, and he is very highly esteemed by officials, coaches, competitors, fans and everyone else in the college hockey community.
“There were a number of superbly qualified candidates for this year’s award. Ty Conklin, the New Hampshire goalie, and Jeff Farkas, Mottau’s BC teammate, had particularly strong support from the committee as well,” added Cully.
Enrolled in BC’s College of Arts and Sciences, Mottau leads an Eagle defensive corps that has allowed only 2.09 goals per game this year, third best in the country, while also being a significant component of its fourth-best offense, 3.97 goals per game. During his four years at Boston College, he has been instrumental in the school’s return to national prominence. He holds the record for most games played (161), most assists (130) and most points by a defenseman (156). He was also named the best defensive defenseman in Hockey East and earned a berth on the HEA all-league squad.
“I’m very excited that Mike has been given this honor, because he is a real ambassador for all that’s good about college hockey,” said Eagles coach Jerry York, who was the Walter Brown Award winner in 1967. “Walter Brown was such a legend and he did so much for our sport.
“I believe that Mike is the best all-around player in college hockey. He plays about 30 minutes of every game for us, and they are hard minutes because he hits hard, he’s always up and joining the play, and he contests things every minute he’s on the ice. He returned to this team for his fourth year this season and he became an even better player. He’s everything you’d ever expect in a student-athlete.”
