COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey senior Emily Loebs (Acton, Mass./Minuteman Lady Flames) is among 18 Division I, II and III men's and women's ice hockey players from across the nation under consideration for the 21st annual BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced recently.
The Hockey Humanitarian Award lauds college hockey's finest citizen, a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. The current list of nominees will be whittled down to a group of finalists next month. This year's award recipient will be introduced and honored in a ceremony on April 8 in Tampa, Fla., as part of the men's Division I Tournament Frozen Four weekend.
Loebs is the only Division II student-athlete up for this year's award, and among five from non-Division I schools, including New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) counterpart Jamie Murray of the Babson College men's program. She was also one of four women nominated. Loebs aims to become just the fifth non-Division I player to earn the honor, and the second from Division II. Two Purple Knights - men or women - have ever advanced to the finalist stage: men's players John Flint '03 and Alex Higgins '11, both during their senior year.
A rare two-sport captain at Saint Michael's, Loebs has appeared in 92 of a possible 95 contests as a defender during her ice hockey career, recently pushing her games-played streak to 53 outings. This year she has a career-high and team-leading six assists, having already matched her personal best with eight points. Of Loebs' 24 career points, 18 have been assists. Off the ice, she qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East All-Academic team each of the past two seasons. Loebs has also seen time in 26 contests with the women's lacrosse team, including a career-high 12 out of the midfield in 2015, and landed on the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll each of her first seven semesters.
Among her extracurricular activities, Loebs is in her second year as the Saint Michael's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) co-president and serves on the Athletic Advisory Council and Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. Through her two sports teams and SAAC, Loebs has been involved in innumerable volunteer and fundraising activities. Thanks to such initiatives as all-sports clinics, Pie Your Professor, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the A Million Thanks letter-writing campaign to military members, and a 5K fun run and walk, SAAC raised nearly $4,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation the past two school years.
SAAC also held a fundraiser in 2014 for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, which works with children with cancer; took part in Spread The Word to End The Word and the National Education Association's Read Across America in 2015; and created a You Can Play Project video last March showing its support of a cause dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.
During her time at Saint Michael's, Loebs' ice hockey team volunteered with the Chittenden-South Burlington (CSB) Youth Hockey Association to teach youths the sport through International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)-recognized events; benefited the American Cancer Society through annual Pink The Rink and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events; aided Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts; hosted a Military Appreciation Game to benefit the campus' student military organization; and supported a cancer-stricken child's birthday card drive.
