On Wednesday, 10 finalists were announced for the 2006-07 Men’s Hockey Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which honors character, community involvement, academics and sporting achievement. The finalists will compete in the all-new hockey division of the national award for NCAA senior student-athletes.
An acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School,” the award was initially developed in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving school early to turn professional.
Earlier this year, Lowe’s announced it would extend the award beginning in 2007 to include men’s hockey, men’s lacrosse, baseball and softball.
Finalists were selected from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. The criteria to determine the top 10 included the areas of classroom, character and community in addition to performance in the hockey rink during this season.
The finalists are: Matt Anderson of Massachusetts, David Brown of Notre Dame, Billy Devoney of Air Force, Glenn Fisher of Denver, Curtis Fraser of Alaska-Fairbanks, Jeff Jakaitis of Lake Superior State, Michel Léveillé of Maine, Kirk MacDonald of Rensselaer, Ryan Mahrle of Western Michigan and Nate Raduns of St. Cloud State.
The finalists will be placed on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award ballot for a nationwide vote leading up to the NCAA championship. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the weekend of the Frozen Four.
“Not only are these finalists among the nation’s best college hockey athletes, they also have a very impressive list of achievements in the classroom and in the community,” said Bob Gfeller, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising. “We salute these tremendous NCAA student-athletes for making an impact with their time and talents.”
Fan voting for the men’s hockey award will begin March 10 at www.seniorclassaward.com.
2006-07 Men’s Hockey Finalists
F Matt Anderson, Massachusetts
G David Brown, Notre Dame
D Billy Devoney, Air Force
G Glenn Fisher, Denver
F Curtis Fraser, Alaska
G Jeff Jakaitis, Lake Superior State
F Michel Léveillé, Maine
F Kirk MacDonald, Rensselaer
D Ryan Mahrle, Western Michigan
F Nate Raduns, St. Cloud State
