Largest-ever candidates’ field includes mix of outstanding players across all New England conferences and independent teams
BOSTON – February 14, 2023 – In what is likely the most exciting season across DII/III college hockey in many years, Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Cheryl Duddy-Schoenfeld announced today that 33 players are semifinalists for the22nd Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England.
The Joe Concannon Award was established in 2001 shortly after the passing of the longtime writer for The Boston Globe, who had a great passion for the game of college hockey while always advocating strongly for amateur athletics.
Twenty-five institutions are represented in the slate of candidates that includes five players from the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC), six from the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), six from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), eight from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and six from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Two independent programs, Anna Maria, and Albertus Magnus, also have nominees this season. The list of nominees includes 20 forwards, nine defensemen and four goaltenders. No school received more than two nominees, reflecting the incredible balance across the DII/III hockey landscape in New England. Babson, Colby, Norwich, Plymouth State, St. Anselm, Trinity, Wesleyan, and the University of New England each have two nominees.
The following is the complete list of semifinalists, by team, with statistics reflecting games through February 13, 2023:
Albertus Magnus: Tim Manning, sophomore forward from Concord, OH (11G – 10A – 21 points; +10)
Anna Maria: Cam Tobey, senior defenseman from Falmouth, MA (8G – 10A – 18 points; +10)
Assumption: Colin Philippon, senior forward from Salem, NH (9G – 17A – 26 points; -3)
Babson: Thomas Kramer, junior forward from Bridgewater, MA (8G – 16A – 24 points; +7); James Perullo, senior defenseman from Revere, MA (5G – 9A – 14 points; +14)
Bowdoin: Andy Stoneman, senior forward from Arrowsic, ME (8G – 12A – 20 points; +14)
Colby: Andy Beran, junior goaltender from St. Paul, MN (1.93 goals-against average, .934 save percentage); Jack Sullivan, junior defenseman from Elmhurst, IL (5G – 13A – 18 points; +8)
Curry: Timmy Kent, junior forward from Parkland, FL (15G – 19A – 34 points; +31)
Endicott: Andrew Kurapov, junior forward from Corvallis, OR (11G – 16A – 27 points +16)
Fitchburg State: Hunter Fortin, senior forward from Westerville, OH (9G – 12A – 21 points; +7)
Framingham State: Dylan Marty, sophomore forward from New Richmond, WI (7G – 15A – 22 points; -3)
Franklin Pierce: Conor Foley, junior forward from Nahant, MA (16G – 18A – 34 points; +5)
Massachusetts-Dartmouth: Jake Maynard, senior defenseman from St. John, IN (2G – 18A – 20 points; +6)
Norwich: Drennen Atherton, senior goaltender from Winter Haven, FL (1.36 goals-against average, .947 save percentage); Clark Kerner, sophomore forward from Kansas City, KS (8G – 11A – 19 points; +15)
Plymouth State: Myles Abbate, senior forward from Norwell, MA (9G – 21A – 30 points; +16); Brendahn Brawley, senior goaltender from Morton, PA (2.22 goals-against average; .930 save percentage)
Post: Nick Weber, freshman forward from Woodbury, MN (14G – 11A – 25 points; +3)
Salem State: Erik Larsson, junior forward from Lake Tahoe, CA (14G – 12A – 26 points; -11)
Salve Regina: Johnny Mulera, junior forward from Rockville, MD (10G – 14A – 24 points; +4)
Southern Maine: Curtis Judd, senior forward from Newton, MA (15G – 10A – 25 points; +8)
St. Anselm College: Matt Hayes, senior forward from Salem, NH (7G – 16A – 23 points; +12); Jack Murphy, senior defenseman from Marshfield, MA (3G – 18A – 21 points +4)
St. Michael’s College: Jeremy Routh, senior forward from Hampden, CT (10G – 16A – 26 points; +9)
Trinity: Gerard Maretta, junior forward from Brick, NJ (13G – 6A – 19 points; +14); Devon Bobak, freshman goaltender from Northwood, OH (1.27 goals-against average; .939 save percentage)
Tufts: Sam Miller, junior defenseman from Milwaukee, WI (7G – 12A – 19 points; +4)
Wesleyan: Wiggle Kerbrat, senior forward from Laguna Niguel, CA (15G – 10A – 25 points +12); Jake Lachance, senior defenseman from Andover, MA (6G – 16A – 22 points; +3)
Western New England: Shane Miller, junior defenseman from Succasunna, NJ (5G – 14A – 19 points -8)
University of New England: Jake Fuss, junior forward from Fairfield, CT (9G – 19A – 28 points; +17); Alex Sheehy, senior defenseman from North Salem, NY (1G – 12A – 13 points +12)
“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 have 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 Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 22nd Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Frozen Four on March 24 & 26.
Joe Concannon Award Winners
2001 Keith Aucoin Norwich University
2002 Michael Carosi Bowdoin College
2003 Nick Stauder Salem State College
2004 Jim Pancyzkowski Wesleyan University
Michael O’Sullivan Curry College
2005 Brian Doherty Curry College
Joseph Ori Trinity College
2006 Adam Dann Bowdoin College
2007 Greg Osborne Colby College
2008 Tom Maldonado Middlebury College
2009 Jeff Landers Amherst College
2010 Coleman Noonan St. Anselm College
2011 Josh Harris Castleton College
2012 Jeremiah Ketts Johnson & Wales Univ.
2013 Colin Mulvey Norwich University
2014 Jackson Brewer Trinity College
2015 Jamie Murray Babson College
2016 Jamie Murray Babson College
2017 Brady Fleurent U. of New England
2018 Colin Larkin UMass – Boston
2019 Brand Fleurent U. of New England
2020 Walker Harris Wesleyan University
2021 (None awarded due to COVID)
2022 Ryan Black Babson College
Conor O’Brien Endicott College
The Joe Concannon Award
The Gridiron Club established the Joe Concannon Award in 2001 to honor Joe, a lifelong devotee of college hockey, former member of the Walter Brown Award Selection Committee and, as a journalist, a staunch advocate for the amateur athletes he knew and covered. A native of Litchfield, Connecticut, Joe graduated from Boston University in 1961. He served as sports information director (SID) at Holy Cross before joining the Boston Globe in the late 1960’s to cover college sports. Joe declined frequent invitations by his editors to write about Boston’s major professional sports teams, preferring to concentrate on the colleges, distance running and golf. He wrote the book Marathoning with Bill Rodgers and established the highly successful Litchfield Road Race in his hometown. Joe was a world traveler and was especially proud of his Irish heritage, frequently sojourning to the Emerald Isle. He passed away in 2000.
2022-2023 Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Selection Committee and Advisory Board: Tim Costello, Chairman; Joe Bertagna, Tom Burke, Jim Connelly, Dick DeCaprio, Bob DeGregorio, John Gravallese, Steve Hagwell, Paul McNamara, Mike McShane, Tyler Murray, John Powers, William J. Stewart III and Dick Umile.
Press Contacts: Tim Costello, Committee Chairman
Phone: 732-425-5922 Tim.costello@ymail.com
Tom Burke, Communications Director
Phone: 617-323-5694 tomburke99@aol.com
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