BOSTON, Mass. – Seniors
Mark Blaney (Braintree, Mass.) and
Hunter Brackett (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) of the Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team have been named semifinalists for the 24th Joe Concannon Award, announced by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston last week. Both players helped the Hawks become Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Regular Season Champions over the weekend after a pair of wins over Saint Michael's.
The Joe Concannon Award is a prestigious award presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England. The award was established in 2001 shortly after the passing of the longtime writer for
The Boston Globe, who had a great passion for college hockey while always advocating strongly for amateur athletics.
40 student-athletes have been selected as semifinalists for the award this year with seven coming from the NE10. It is the largest semifinal field ever and includes players from 32 different institutions. The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) leads the way with 10 selections. This year's list of nominees includes 27 forwards, seven defensemen and six goaltenders. Trinity has the most nominees with three, while Saint Anselm is one of seven schools with two semifinalists.
"This year has seen as balanced a level of competition that there has ever been on the D-II/III landscape in New England," said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman
Tim Costello. "A watch-list of over one hundred outstanding players showcased talents throughout the season to date which has made this year's group of nominees the deepest across conferences and number of teams that the committee has ever seen."
"While the forty semifinalists represent our largest field in the 24-year history of the Joe Concannon Award, it was an immense challenge to reduce to this list of semifinalists. While there are just a few weeks remaining in the regular season and conference tournaments, we are confident that the best players will rise to the occasion when stakes are highest."
Coleman Noonan '11 is the only Saint Anselm student-athlete to ever receive the honor, collecting the award during his junior season in 2010. He is also the only student-athlete from the NE10 to ever receive the award.
Matt Hayes '23 and
Jack Murphy '23 were both named semifinalists for the Hawks two years ago, while Brackett was picked as a semifinalist last year.
Playing in all 26 games this season, Brackett currently leads Saint Anselm and the NE10 in both goals and points. His 19 goals are six higher than any other player, while his 38 points are eight more than the next closest skater. Additionally, Brackett's team-best 19 assists are tied for second-most in the league and are only one shy of the NE10 leader.
The senior has scored three game-winning goals and four power play goals this year, both of which are tied for the conference lead. He is also first on the team and second in the NE10 with 119 shots on goal. The forward is leading the conference with .73 goals per game and 1.46 points per contest as well. All of the aforementioned statistics (goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, power play goals, shots on goal, goals per game, and points per game) are single season career-highs for the Fort Lauderdale native with two regular season games and at least one postseason game still to play.
This year, Brackett has scored the most goals in a single season by a Saint Anselm student-athlete since
Mike Richard '13 scored 20 for the Hawks during the 2012-13 campaign. He is also one of just two student-athletes in the league to record a hat trick this season, which he did for the second time in his career in a 10-2 win over Franklin Pierce on January 18th. Brackett, who has three multi-goal games and 13 multi-point outings this season, is currently riding a seven-game point streak. He has 15 points over that span with six goals and nine assists.
Blaney has played in all but one game for Saint Anselm this winter. The senior has scored two goals and added 15 assists for 17 points. His 15 helpers are a new single season career-best, while his 17 points match his career-high that was set during his sophomore campaign back in 2022-23, when he skated in nine more games. The defenseman currently ranks third on the team and is tied for sixth in the NE10 in assists.
In the team's 10-2 win over Franklin Pierce on January 18th, Blaney recorded his first career three-point game after dishing out three assists. He opened this season up with points in six of his first seven contests.
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 24th Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Frozen Four on March 28th and 30th at a site to be determined.
Blaney, Brackett, and the Hawks conclude the 2024-25 regular season this weekend with a pair of games at Southern New Hampshire on Friday, February 14th and Saturday, February 15th. Both games are scheduled for 7:40 p.m. from the Ice Den in Hooksett, N.H.
The duo will then help Saint Anselm make a push in the NE10 Championship, where they have already secured a First Round bye to advance to the Semifinals.
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