Outstanding field of American-born Division One hockey players in New England includes three repeat nominees
Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Steve Grogan announced today that sixteen NCAA Division One players are semi-finalists for thefifty-eighth Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
The candidates include eleven players from Hockey East, three from the ECAC Hockey League, and two from Atlantic Hockey. The slate comprises 11 forwards, one goalie, and four defensemen. Five teams – Yale, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Boston University, and Boston College – each have two nominees.
Massachusetts junior James Marcou,(Kings Park, NY); UMass-Lowell senior Kory Falite (Billerica, MA); and Yale senior Sean Backman (Cos Cob, CT), all forwards, were semifinalists for last year's award, which was won by Boston University's Matt Gilroy. Marcou, who currently leads the nation in scoring with 40 points in 28 games, was also in the running two years ago as a freshman.
The only goaltender on the 2010 semifinalists' list is Vermont sophomore Rob Madore (Pittsburgh, PA). Defensemen are Boston College senior Carl Sneep (Nisswa, MN); Boston University sophomore David Warsofsky (Marshfield, MA); New Hampshire sophomore Blake Kessel (Verona, WI); and Providence senior Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, MA.)
The remaining forwards from Hockey East schools are Boston College junior Brian Gibbons (Braintree, MA); Boston University junior Nick Bonino (Unionville, CT); Massachusetts sophomore Casey Wellman (Brentwood, CA); and New Hampshire senior Bobby Butler (Marlborough, MA).
Additional ECAC Hockey League forwards are Yale junior Broc Little(Rindge, NH); and Quinnipiac senior Eric Lampe (Madison, WI.)
Semifinalists from Atlantic Hockey are Sacred Heart senior Nick Johnson (Windsor, CT) and Bentley University senior Marc Menzione(Darien, IL.).
"The balance and competitiveness we've seen throughout college hockey in the East this year has been superb, and that balance was especially evident during the process of nomination and evaluation for the Walter Brown Award," remarked Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello. "Not every player who received serious consideration was able to make the cut."
The Gridiron Club will announce the winner of the 58th Walter Brown Award in mid-March.
Contacts:
For Gridiron Club of Greater Boston
Tim Costello, 781-834-1461
tpcostello@comcast.net
or
Tom
Burke, 617-323-5694
tom@graberassociates.net