BOSTON, Mass. - The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Tim Whelan, Jr., announced that 36 players have been named semifinalists for the 25th Joe Concannon Award and UMass Dartmouth senior winger and assistant captain is among this year's selections for the second straight season.
The Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England, 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.
Twenty-two institutions are represented in the slate of candidates that includes six from the Little East Conference – led by Babson with three selections. Other LEC institutions – in addition to UMD and Babson – included UMass Boston and Norwich University. from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. Trinity (CT) led all institutions with three selections, while from the MASCAC, Anna Maria, Fitchburg State, UMD, Salem State and Westfield State all had one.
This year's list of semifinalists for the Concannon Award includes 27 forwards, three defensemen and six goaltenders. The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 25th Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Division III Frozen Four on March 27-29 in Utica, NY.
Stewart, a senior leftwing from Pittsburgh, Pa., played in all 25 games for the Corsairs this season. He led the team in every offensive category with 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points – all career-high season numbers. Of his 21 goals, 10 came on the power play and three were game-winners. Steward also posted a league-high four hat tricks and has 131 shots on the season.
Currently, Stewart leads the Little East Conference in goals, assists, points, power-play goals, hat-tricks, goals per game (.84), assists per game (.96) and points per game (1.80). He is also ranks third in total shots.
Among the Division III leaders, Stewart is second in points per game and power play goals, ranking third overall in goals per game. He is eighth overall in assists per game and ranks 27th nationally in game-winning goals.
Last season, Stewart – an All-Conference First Team honoree - played in all 26 games for the Corsairs. He led the team in scoring with 37 points on a team-high 15 goals and 22 assists. Of his 15 goals, six were on the power play, while two were game-winners. He also recorded 125 shots on the season.
During the 2023-24 season, Stewart ranked third on the team with 28 points on a squad-best 17 goals and 11 assists over 27 games played. He recorded a team-high 109 shots and was a +2 on the season. Additionally, he notched a team-high six power play goals and squad-best five game-winning markers. For the season, he was a two-time MASCAC Player of the Week honoree.
As a rookie, Stewart appeared in all 26 games, recording a team-high 23 points on a team-best 10 goals with 13 assists. Posting 94 shots, he saw three of his goals come on the power play, while two were game winners.
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 24th Joe Concannon Award in March, following league playoffs and before the start of the NCAA Frozen Four on March 28 & 30 at a site to be determined.
UMass Dartmouth concluded the 2025-26 season with a 12-13-0 mark, going 7-11-0 in their inaugural season in the Little East Conference. The Corsairs had a five-game winning streak during the season, closing with victories over WestConn and Keene State to end the year.
