Shane Miller Named to Semi-Finals of Joe Concannon Award
BOSTON, Mass. (February 14, 2023) – Western New England men's ice hockey junior Shane Miller has been named a semi-finalist in the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston's 22nd Annual Joe Concannon Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England.
The Joe Concannon Award was established in 2001 shortly after the passing of longtime writer for The Boston Globe, who had great passion for the game of college hockey while always advocating strongly for amateur athletics.
Twenty-five institutions are represented in the slate of candidates that includes five players from the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC), six from the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), six from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), eight from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and six from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Two independent programs, Anna Maria, and Albertus Magnus, also have nominees this season. The list of nominees includes 20 forwards, nine defensemen and four goaltenders. No school received more than two nominees, reflecting the incredible balance across the DII/III hockey landscape in New England. Babson, Colby, Norwich, Plymouth State, St. Anselm, Trinity, Wesleyan, and the University of New England each have two nominees.
Shane Miller has played in 17 games this season, picking up a career high five goals while dishing out 14 assists, good for 19 total points on the year which ranks second in the Commonwealth Coast Conference for defensemen. Miller has produced one powerplay goal and one empty net goal this season for the Golden Bears while taking 70 total shots on goal which ranks first on the team and tied for seventh in the conference among skaters. In his two seasons with WNE, Miller has scored nine goals and produced 30 assists, good for 39 points in his career. The junior has taken a total of 151 shots on goal through 43 career games.
The Commonwealth Coast Conference has seen three core member school student-athletes win the Joe Concannon Award, with the University of New England winning twice (2017, 2019) and Endicott College winning last season (2022).
Western New England men's ice hockey returns to the ice in their final regular season games this weekend, playing host to Wentworth Institute of Technology on Friday, February 17 before hitting the road at No. 11 University of New England on Saturday, February 18.
