Fortin Named Semi-Finalists For Joe Concannon Award
Westerville Ohio native selected among 33 NCAA D-II/III players
FITCHBURG, Mass. - The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Cheryl Duddy-Schoenfield announced the 33 semifinalists for the 22nd Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England on Tuesday.
Senior Hunter Fortin (Westerville, Ohio) among six players represented from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).
Fortin has witnessed a stellar season for the Green and Gold, currently leading the team in points with 21, while ranking second in goals with nine and second in assists with 12. In addition, Hunter has posted two power-play tallies over 19 games for the Falcons thus far.
"This year has truly been the most dynamic and competitive at the DII/III level in many seasons" said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello. "The competitiveness from top to bottom and the number of outstanding individual efforts throughout the season has made this year's group of nominees the deepest and most diverse the committee has seen in the history of the award. The 33 semifinalists represent our largest field in the 22-year history of the Concannon Award and it was very difficult to get it down to that number. We expect to see the field sort itself out in the course of the final weeks of the regular season, conference championship tournaments and the NCAA title chase in March."
The Joe Concannon Award, established in 2001 after the late Joe Concannon, is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England playing at the Division II or III level. Concannon, a native of Litchfield, Connecticut and graduate of Boston University, served as Sports Information Director (SID) at Holy Cross before joining the Boston Globe in the late 1960's. A former member of the Walter Brown Award Selection Committee, Concannon had been a staunch advocate for college hockey and the amateur athletes he covered before passing away in 2000.
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 22nd Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of the NCAA Frozen Four on March 24th & 26th.
The Fitchburg State ice hockey team (11-9-3, 8-5-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as they host the Owls of Westfield State University in MASCAC action, starting at 6:30PM.
Portions of release courtesy of Tim Costello – Gridiron Club of Greater Boston