Gridiron Club of Greater Boston named Harvard goalie Dov Grumet-Morris the winner of the 53rd Walter Brown Award, the nation’s oldest college hockey honor.
Presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England, the Walter Brown Award was established in 1953 by the members of the 1933 Massachusetts Rangers, a team coached by Brown to America’s first world championship in ice hockey.
Grumet-Morris, a senior from Evanston, Ill., has posted a 1.53 goals-against average through 28 games to date, good for second in the nation behind Cornell’s Dave McKee. Grumet-Morris, a Hobey Baker candidate, is also second nationally in shutouts with six on the season, and his .949 save percentage is currently the best in the country.
In three-plus years as the Crimson’s starting netminder, Grumet-Morris has virtually rewritten Harvard’s goaltending record book. He holds the career lead in nine categories, and will add a 10th if he makes 14 saves in the 2005 playoffs. He has 2,963 saves in 111 games, a 2.24 goals-against mark, and a .923 save percentage.
Academically, Grumet-Morris has attained 3.22 grade-point average while majoring in Government and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He was recently named to the ECACHL All-Academic squad for the third consecutive year.
Harvard coach Ted Donato said, “Dov’s selection as winner of the Walter Brown Award is a great accomplishment and a deserved honor for a student athlete who not only represents our program so well, but also our university. Dov’s accomplishments this year have been pivotal to the success of our team, and his character and personality have been a joy to be around.”
Grumet-Morris edged out Northeastern captain and senior center Jason Guerriero in the final balloting. A native of Manorville, N.Y., Guerriero is the first Northeastern player to win the Hockey East regular-season scoring title. He finished with 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in conference play and 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in all games. Others who received strong consideration were Boston College forwards Ryan Shannon and Patrick Eaves and New Hampshire forward Sean Collins.
“The committee members were especially pleased with the quality of this year’s field of 15 semifinalists for the Walter Brown Award,” said committee chairman Tim Costello. “But Dov Grumet-Morris emerged as a particularly outstanding candidate for his superb performance this year and throughout his college years, both on the ice and in his academic work.”
Grumet-Morris will receive the 2005 Walter Brown Award at the New England Hockey Writers’ Dinner on Wednesday, April 13.
