Matt O’Dea Named Semifinalist for Joe Concannon Award
Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Release/Full List of Semifinalists
Orland Park, Ill. native led Golden Bears with 33 points in 2017-18
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 20, 2018) – Junior forward Matt O'Dea (Orland Park, Ill.) of the Western New England University ice hockey team has been named a semifinalist for the 18th Joe Concannon Award, Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Chris Clemente announced on Tuesday morning.
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.
O'Dea is among 22 semifinalists, and one of nine student-athletes from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), to be nominated for the prestigious honor.
The Orland Park, Ill. native played in all 26 games for the Golden Bears this season and led the team with 33 points on 18 goals and 15 assists.
He recorded at least one point in 19 of Western New England's 26 contests, with nine multi-point performances.
O'Dea posted a season-best seven-game point streak from January 6-27. His 33 points were good for ninth in the CCC.
Western New England (9-14-3, 4-12-2 CCC) made its second straight appearance in the CCC Tournament this season and fell to top-seeded Salve Regina in the quarterfinal round.
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 18th Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Frozen Four in Lake Placid, N.Y. The award will be presented to the winner at the New England College Hockey Writers' Dinner in April at the Prince Restaurant in Saugus, Mass.
The Joe Concannon Award
The Gridiron Club established the Joe Concannon Award in 2001 to honor Joe, a lifelong devotee of college hockey, former member of the Walter Brown Award Selection Committee and, as a journalist, a staunch advocate for the amateur athletes he knew and covered. A native of Litchfield, Connecticut, Joe graduated from Boston University in 1961. He served as sports information director (SID) at Holy Cross before joining the Boston Globe in the late 1960's to cover college sports. Joe declined frequent invitations by his editors to write about Boston's major professional sports teams, preferring to concentrate on the colleges, distance running and golf. He wrote the book Marathoning with Bill Rodgers and established the highly successful Litchfield Road Race in his hometown. Joe was a world traveler and was especially proud of his Irish heritage, frequently sojourning to the Emerald Isle. He passed away in 2000.
