The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president has announced the 22 semifinalists for the sixteenth Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the NCAA Division II/III level.
This year’s list is made up of 12 forwards, six defensemen and four goaltenders, including last year’s winner, Jamie Murray from Babson. The candidates include seven players from the NEHC, six from the ECAC Northeast, five from the MASCAC, three from the NESCAC and one from the NE-10.
| Player's Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Bates | F | Jr. | Johnson and Wales |
| Tyler Beasley | F | Sr. | Nichols |
| Brandon Bete | F | Sr. | Assumption |
| Tyler Bishop | D | Jr. | Massachusetts-Boston |
| Gordon Caesar | G | Sr. | Plymouth State |
| Ryan Cole | F | Sr. | Trinity |
| Frankie DeAugustine | F | Sr. | Massachusetts-Boston |
| Trevor Fleurent | F | Sr. | University of New England |
| Brad Jones | D | Jr. | Salem State |
| Sean Kavanaugh | D | Sr. | Tufts |
| Alex Larson | G | Sr. | Nichols |
| Matt Lemire | F | Sr. | Massachusetts-Boston |
| Zander Masucci | D | Sr. | Williams |
| Cam Moniz | F | Sr. | Salem State |
| Jamie Murray | G | Sr. | Babson |
| Tyler Piacentini | F | Jr. | Norwich |
| Alex Pompeo | D | Sr. | Salve Regina |
| Justin Selep | F | Sr. | Suffolk |
| Mike Vollmin | D | Sr. | Babson |
| Parker Wood | F | Fr. | Endicott |
| Josh Woody | F | Sr. | Plymouth State |
| Marcus Zelzer | G | Jr. | Salem State |
“The continued expansion and growth at the D-II and III levels have made it necessary to broaden our scope of recognition,” said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello in a news release. “This list reflects the high level of play found across the region. Our committee believes that the level of play and increased number of teams merited expanding our list of candidates over those of prior years. All semifinalists are worthy. That definitely creates a challenge for the committee to pick the winner from the players nominated.”
The Gridiron Club expects to announce the finalists and winner of the award in March, prior to the start of the NCAA Division III Frozen Four, and to formally present the award during the New England Hockey Writers dinner in April.
