Courtesy Gridiron Club of Greater Boston

BOSTON, Mass. - Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Al Robichaud announced Thursday that senior defenseman Tom Maldonado of Middlebury College is the winner of the eighth annual Joe Concannon Award, which recognizes New England’s best American-born hockey player at the Division II-III level.

Maldonado, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., finished his career at Middlebury with an outstanding season, leading the Panthers in scoring with nine goals and eighteen assists for twenty-seven points. During his senior season the durable defenseman passed both the 100 games played plateau as well as the 100 career point mark. He was team captain and a NESCAC All-Conference First Team selection.

Middlebury head coach Bill Beaney noted, “Tom has been a mainstay here offensively and defensively since the first day he stepped on campus. He has quarterbacked our power play since he was a freshman and has played in virtually every critical situation. He may be small for a defenseman at just 5’8” tall but he has a big heart – he plays through injuries and has shown great puck savvy on the ice.”

Beaney further added, “Tommy has displayed great character. You don’t see many hockey players coming out of the Bronx. He has been a great leader and is a strongly committed kid to the program. But as good as he is as a player, he is a better person. Tom has reached out to the community and has become a mentor to local kids in helping them with goal-setting and striving for success.

“This is a special award and achievement for Tom and the school. Having known Joe Concannon, I think he would be proud of what Tom Maldonado brings as a recipient of the award bearing his name.”

A very strong field of finalist candidates vied with Maldonado for the Concannon Award. They included senior forwards T. J. Kelley and Josh Reber from Colby; senior forward John Geverd from Babson College; and senior forward Matt McGilvray from Johnson & Wales University.

Kelley, from Ridgefield, Conn., led the Mules to a first place finish in the NESCAC standings and finished the season with nineteen goals and twenty-four assists for forty-three points. For his career, T.J. had fifty-six goals and seventy assists for 126 points while playing 92 games. He was voted a First Team All-NESCAC and won the league’s Player of the Year award this past season.

Reber, from Edina, Minn. was a true impact player for the Mules, finishing his senior year with ten goals and twenty-five assists for thirty-five points in just twenty games played. The ultimate set-up man, Reber finished his career with ninety-nine assists along with thirty-four goals and 133 total points and was an All-Conference First Team member.

“This year has been an extraordinary season of competitive hockey at the Division II and III levels in New England,” noted committee chairman Tim Costello. “Each and every one of our nominees had terrific seasons; the five finalists from our very talented field truly distinguished themselves. They were leaders on campus as well as on the ice. Tom Maldonado demonstrated great hockey skills as well as leadership and sportsmanship. He certainly earned his place among the group of distinguished winners of the Concannon Award.”

The 2008 Joe Concannon Award will be presented at the New England Hockey Writers’ Dinner on Wednesday, April 16. Last year’s winner was Greg Osborne from Colby and Stoughton, Mass.