February 5, 2008

Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Announces
Semi-Finalists for 56th Walter Brown Award
Outstanding field of American-born Division One hockey players includes three repeat nominees, three players from Providence and two each from Boston College, Boston University, and New Hampshire

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BOSTON – February 4, 2007 – Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Al Robichaud announced today that fifteen NCAA Division One players are semi-finalists for the fifty-sixth Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.

The candidates include twelve players from Hockey East and three from the ECAC Hockey League. The slate comprises nine forwards, four goalies, and two defensemen. Providence College, which did not have a semifinalist last year, boasts three in 2008. Boston College, Boston University, and New Hampshire all have two players each among the candidates. Three nominees, BC’s Benn Ferriero, BU’s Peter MacArthur, and UNH’s Kevin Regan, were semifinalists for last year’s award, which was won by Boston University goalie John Curry.

Goaltenders on the 2008 semifinalists’ list include Regan, a UNH senior from South Boston, MA; sophomore Nevin Hamilton, (Ashland, MA) of UMass-Lowell; junior Billy Blase (Santa Monica, CA) of Yale; and senior Tyler Sims (Fort Worth, TX) of Providence. Regan, with a 2.38 goals against average to date, has been a fixture in the net for UNH, Hockey East’s league leading team. Hamilton and Sims have both been strong factors in their respective teams’ surprising performance in the tightly-contested Hockey East race. Blase currently sports a 1.98 goals-against average for the resurgent young Bulldogs, who are making a surprising run at a home ice playoff berth in the ECAC.

Defensemen on the list are Providence junior Matt Taormina (Washington Township, MI), who leads Hockey East rearguards in scoring with 23 points to date, and Maine’s slick-passing senior Bret Tyler (Maynard, MA).

Among the forwards, BC junior Nathan Gerbe (Oxford, MI) is currently top scorer in Hockey East and third in the nation with 37 points. Ferriero (Essex, MA), his teammate and classmate, has put up 27 points to date. BU seniors MacArthur (Clifton Park, NY) and Bryan Ewing (Plymouth, MA) have been among Hockey East’s top scorers all season and each have 30 points. Providence senior Jon Rheault (Deering, NH) is tied for second in goal production among Hockey East players with 14.

A pair of Hockey East freshmen are among the candidates. New Hampshire’s James van Riemsdyk (Middletown, NJ), who starred for the United States team in this season’s World Junior Tournament, is third-leading scorer among the league’s rookies with 23 points despite missing fivae games for tournament play. UMass rookie James Marcou (Kings’ Park, NY) has posted 25 points thus far. Rounding out the semifinalists’ slate are Harvard senior Jon Pelle (West Islip, NY) slate and Quinnipiac senior Ben Nelson (Spokane. WA).

“We almost always note, in making our semifinalists’ announcement, that Eastern hockey is competitive and well balanced. That is certainly true this year, but perhaps even more so than ever. We have a long way to go before standings and playoff berths are sorted out, and a brief hot streak or slump can spell a major change in the standings for any given team,” said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello. “The same thinking applies to the slate of potential candidates for this year’s Walter Brown Award. Many very fine players came under consideration, and unfortunately some of them could not make the watch list. That said, we believe that this is a strong group of semifinalists, and we look forward to tracking them closely for the rest of the season.”

The Gridiron Club plans to announce the finalists and winner of the 56th Walter Brown Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Tournament play.

The Walter Brown Award

Commemorating the life and works of America's greatest sportsman, the Walter Brown Award is given annually to the outstanding American-born college hockey player in New England. The Walter Brown Award is the oldest nationally recognized honor accorded to individual players in the sport of American college hockey. Brown coached the United States to its first world hockey championship in 1933. The U.S. team, the Massachusetts Rangers, comprised players from Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, and Boston Commerce High School. The Americans defeated the Toronto National Sea Fleas, coached by Harold Ballard, 2-1 in overtime in the final game of the 1933 World Tournament at Prague, Czechoslovakia. It was also America’s first win over a team from Canada and the first loss ever suffered by the Canadians in international play. The U.S. team members established the Walter Brown award at their 20th reunion in 1953. Criteria for the selection committee include leadership, character, sportsmanship, and ability as well as on-ice achievement. The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has been the steward of the Walter Brown Award since 1977.

2007-2008 Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Officers: Al Robichaud, President; Tim Whelan, First Vice President; Steve Grogan, Second Vice President; Fran Allen, Third Vice President; Richard (Dick) Lawrence, Secretary; Paul Costello, Treasurer; Edmund (Ned) Cully, Historian.

2007-2008 Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Selection Committee and Advisory Board: Tim Costello, Chairman; Joe Bertagna, Tom Burke, Paul Costello, Ned Cully, Bob DeGregorio, Kevin Fleming, Steve Hagwell, Steve Hardy, Dick Lawrence, Hon. Gordon A. Martin, Jr., Bob Norton, Paul Stewart, and William J. Stewart III.