Five Humanitarian Award Finalists Named

The Hockey Humanitarian Foundation today announced its five finalists for the 2005 Hockey Humanitarian Award: Boston College senior Sarah Carlson; Quinnipiac senior Gillian Gallagher; Dartmouth senior John Ostapyk; Canisius senior Mark Persick; and Massachusetts senior Peter Trovato.

The finalists were selected by the Hockey Humanitarian Executive Committee from a group of 15 nominees. The finalists were chosen on the basis of having a “strong commitment to their communities, their teams and their studies.”

According to the Foundation, the higlights include: Carlson traveled to Mexico during the summer of 2004 and volunteered building a church and running a vacation bible school. Gallagher often spends Saturdays building homes for Habitat for Humanity and is also involved with Support a Soldier in Iraq. Ostapyk spends time at the Carter Community Building in Lebanon, NH where he has become a role model to underprivileged kids.

There are two finalists for the award this season who were also nominees in 2004. Persick, who last year organized a sponsorship of a six-year-old girl in Somalia, was a nominee as well as a finalist in 2004, Trovato, who founded the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund which honors the sacrifices of Massachusetts soldiers in the war on terrorism, was a nominee.

For more detailed information on the community service and humanitarian deeds performed by the 2005 finalists, visit www.hockeyhumanitarian.org.

The 10th recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award will be selected from this group of finalists and named in a ceremony held in conjunction with the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Friday, April 8th in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four.

More information on the history of the award as well as the 2005 schedule of events can be found at www.hockeyhumanitarian.org.