MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Senior forward Amanda Conger (Swanton, Vt.) of the Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team was selected as the 25th recipient of the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award on Saturday.
VIDEO: Official Video Announcement
VIDEO: Conger featured on ESPN's SportsCenter
VIDEO: Swanton native announced 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner (WCAX-TV, Scott Fleishman)
LINK: Conger's Gesture Sparks A True Speedway Success Story
LINK: Swanton's Amanda Conger wins 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award (Burlington Free Press, Alex Abrami)
LINK: Saint Anselm's Amanda Conger named 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner (NCAA.com)
LINK: Conger receives Hockey Humanitarian Award (Saint Albans Messenger, Ruthie LaRoche)
LINK: Saint Anselm's Conger takes giving of self to new heights (Tim Costello, USCHO.com)
PDF: Saint Anselm's Amanda Conger named 25th recipient of Hockey Humanitarian Award
FINALIST VIDEO: Amanda Conger, In Her Own Words
The award, first presented in 1996, is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
Conger was nominated in recognition of a selfless act that took place this past summer. Through an internship experience in her home state of Vermont, she met a local man, Cameron Ouellette, who was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease.
"I am in complete and utter awe by the fact that I was considered a nominee for this prestigious award," said Conger. "I was in even more awe that I was a finalist, let alone the recipient. I feel extremely honored and am humbled just by the thought of it."
"While I am exceptionally grateful to be the recipient of this award, it was completely unexpected," said the Saint Anselm team captain. "I can only hope that the more my story is shared, the more awareness it brings to the importance of organ donation. I am fortunate this is another platform to do just that."
After learning of the public appeals for a donor, Conger went through the process of learning if she was a match. Balancing academics and working with the kidney transplant team, it was discovered this past spring that she was a match. The harvesting and transplant procedures took place in early June and, to date, both Conger and Ouellette have been recovering well with no ill effects.
Heading into her senior campaign with the women's ice hockey team at Saint Anselm, Conger was prevented from lifting anything more than five pounds for a large portion of the summer. She has since fully recovered from the procedure and headed into this past season with no restrictions.
Conger cites the overwhelming support from her teammates, the Hawks coaching staff and, most importantly, her family who supported her decision from start to finish.
On the ice, Conger has responded from the intense medical procedure to skate in a career-high 32 games in 2019-20, scoring three goals with 10 assists for 13 points (3-10=13). For her career, she has played in a program-record 116 games with 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points (31-41=72) – she has missed only two games in the last four campaigns.
As part of the women's ice hockey team, Conger has volunteered her time with numerous noteworthy causes, including Team IMPACT and Girls with Power Tools. She also has worked with the College's Assault & Violence Education & Reporting Team (AVERT) and in the Harbor, an on-campus hub for prevention, education and awareness of domestic and dating violence.
"I truly believe it is Amanda's outlook on life to make the most of all her opportunities and not take life for granted," remarked her Head Coach, Kerstin Matthews. "It takes a special person to be so selfless to add a physical challenge of this degree right before her senior year. It is amazing to see how this young woman has touched so many lives – what's more, she doesn't see it in terms of what she has done for them, but rather what they have done for her."
Announced as one of five finalists in early February, Conger is the 25th winner of the national award and the second from Saint Anselm – Tucker Mullin '13 was so honored in his senior season. As an institution, Saint Anselm becomes the fifth college or university to have individuals win in multiple years, joining Boston College, Northeastern, Yale and Wisconsin.
"Over 25 years, we have been incredibly impressed by the caliber of our nominees," said Matt Patrick, Executive Director of the HHAF. "Amanda's sacrifice exemplifies all that the Foundation seeks to honor. She is in every way a true heroine. We could not be more pleased."
The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation will present Conger with a check for $2,500 with the funds earmarked to Donate Life Vermont, the organization that also received her earlier donation of $500, issued to each of the five HHA award finalists. These donations from the HHA Foundation are possible through the generous support of the award's partners and donors.
Donate Life Vermont is an organization dedicated to raising awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation while increasing the number of people registered to be an organ donor in the Green Mountain State.
