JAMES SIXSMITH AND MATT
SCHERER NAMED SEMIFINALISTS
FOR 55TH WALTER BROWN AWARD
BOSTON, Mass. - Holy Cross senior captain James Sixsmith and Connecticut senior Matt Scherer have been named semifinalists for the 55th Walter Brown Award as announced by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Dave O'Brien. The award is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
The Gridiron Club plans to announce the finalists and winner of the 55th Walter Brown Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Tournament play. The candidates include nine players from Hockey East, four from the ECAC Hockey League, and two from Atlantic Hockey. The slate comprises six forwards, five goalies, and four defensemen.
Sixsmith has had an outstanding career as his 144 career points (44 goals and 100 assists) is first on the Holy Cross all-time Division I career points list. He passed current San Jose Shark Patrick Rissmiller (1998-2002) who had 143 points. Sixsmith, who already holds the Division I record for career assists, is also just the fifth Crusader since the start of varsity action (1966-1967 season) to reach 100 assists.
He currently leads the team in assists (26) and points (39), while he is tied for first in goals (13). His 1.44 points per game are seventh in the nation and second in Atlantic Hockey, while his .96 assists per game are tied for third nationally and first in the conference. Last season, Sixsmith was named the 2006 Atlantic Hockey Tournament MVP for his three goals and five assists in the three games.
Sixsmith is the fifth Holy Cross player to be named a semifinalist for this award in the program's history, along with Jim Stewart, Rissmiller, Tony Coskren and Tony Quesada.
Scherer's nomination makes him the first Husky to ever be named a Walter Brown Award semifinalist. He is currently tied for the team lead with 24 points and recently became the school's all-time leading goal scorer at the Division I level. Holy Cross senior James Sixsmith joins Scherer as the only other Atlantic Hockey player selected to the list.
Commemorating the life and works of America's greatest sportsman, the Walter Brown Award is given annually to the outstanding American-born college hockey player in New England. The Walter Brown Award is the oldest nationally recognized honor according to individual players in the sport of American college hockey.
Brown coached the United States to its first world hockey championship in 1933. The U.S. team, the Massachusetts Rangers, comprised players from Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, and Boston Commerce High School. The Americans defeated the Toronto Nationals, 2-1, in overtime in the final game of the 1933 World Tournament at Prague, Czechoslovakia. It was also America's first win over a team from Canada.
The U.S. team members established the Walter Brown award at their 20th reunion in 1953. Criteria for the selection committee include leadership, character, sportsmanship, and ability as well as on-ice achievement. The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has been the steward of the Walter Brown Award since 1977.
