Men's Ice Hockey

Five NE10 Players Named Semifinalists for Joe Concannon Award

Assumption with Multiple Semifinalists.

BOSTON, Mass. - The Northeast 10 Conference recently had five ice hockey players named semifinalists for the Joe Concannon Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England. The announcement was made by the Gridiron Club of New England earlier this month. 

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.

Overall, 36 players were named semifinalists - with the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) garnering the highest number of selections with 11. There were 22 institutions represented, including four from the NE10 - as Assumption had two, while Franklin Pierce, Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's all had one. 

The only NE10 player to ever win the award was Saint Anselm's Coleman Noonan in 2010. 

Assumption's Jonathan Surrette and Shane McElhaney were both named semifinalists, as they have led the Greyhounds to the NE10 regular season championship. Surrette recently broke the single-season scoring mark in NE10 history, surpassing Josh Ralph of Saint Michael's and Rob Pascale of Stonehill. He currently has 54 points - the most of any collegiate ice hockey player across all divisions. McElhaney has been an elite scoring threat for Assumption as a defenseman, tallying 30 points this season - fourth-most among all NE10 players. 

Franklin Pierce's Mario Paganini, Saint Anselm's Cam Collins and Saint Michael's Evan Plunkett were also named semifinalists for the award. Paganini ranks second in the NE10 in both goals (21) and points (35), while Collins is third in assists (21) and fifth in points (29). Plunkett leads all NE10 goaltenders in saves (618), while ranking second in goals against average (2.04) and save percentage (.942). 

The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 25th Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Division III Frozen Four on March 27-29 in Utica, N.Y.

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast 10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.