OVERLAND PARK, KS - Twenty NCAA® men's ice hockey student-athletes who excel both on and off the ice were selected as candidates today for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in hockey. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence ? community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The 2010-11 candidate class includes nine members who play for teams ranked in the USA Hockey/USA Today preseason poll. Almost half the candidates have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Three were tabbed American Hockey Coaches Association All-Americans last season and one was a CoSIDA Academic All-American last year.

Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Frozen Four® in April.

The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

"This year's group of hockey candidates has really distinguished itself with its outstanding work in the classroom," said Tom Lamb, Lowe's senior vice president of marketing. "As these student-athletes close out their collegiate careers, they will no doubt be prepared for the next chapter in their lives whether it is further study or work in the public or private sector."

For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.


2010-11 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Hockey Candidates

Name, Position, School
Jay Barriball, Forward, Minnesota
Chris Barton, Forward, Merrimack
Stephane Boileau, Forward, Union (New York)
Carter Camper, Forward, Miami (Ohio)
Cory Conacher, Forward, Canisius
Paul Dainton, Goaltender, Massachusetts
Jeff Dimmen, Defense, Maine
Chay Genoway, Defense, North Dakota
Carl Hagelin, Forward, Michigan
Tanner House, Forward, Maine
Chris Kushneriuk, Forward, Robert Morris
Jacques Lamoureux, Forward, Air Force
Broc Little, Forward, Yale
Bryant Molle, Defense, Alaska Fairbanks
Kyle Ostrow, Forward, Denver
Chase Polacek, Forward, Rensselaer
Matt Read, Forward, Bemidji State
Zach Redmond, Defense, Ferris State
Calle Ridderwall, Left Wing, Notre Dame
Evan Stephens, Defense, Dartmouth