Michigan’s Bennett, Ferris State’s Czarnowczan named CLASS candidates
By Michael Caples –
Twenty NCAA men’s ice hockey student-athletes who represent their universities properly both on and off the ice were named candidates for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award in college hockey today.
Two of the players named play for Michigan NCAA Division 1 programs: Michigan captain Mac Bennett and Ferris State captain Scott Czarnowczan (Macomb).
The Senior CLASS Award – short for ‘Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School’ – is awarded to an athlete that excels in four areas – community, classroom, character and competition.
The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the season, and those ten names will be placed on an official ballot. That ballot will be voted on by members of the media, coaches and fans.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in April.
From the Senior CLASS Award official site:
Mac Bennett, University of Michigan Wolverines defenseman
Classroom
Bennett is a musicology major in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He has earned a 3.08 GPA while mastering music theory with work on the drums, guitar, and piano. Bennett has written his own songs, and produced electronic music as part of his coursework.
Character
Bennett has served as team captain for the Wolverines over the past two seasons, wearing the “C” this season after serving as an alternate last year. After a disappointing 2012-13 season, Bennett has organized many new initiatives to bring the team together this year, including more team activities in the preseason, and signs in the team locker room with daily messages and goals.
Community
Bennett is involved in several Michigan Student-Athlete Advisory Committee events and has performed annually at the Mock Rock, the Michigan Student-Athlete Variety Show. He has visited the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital with his teammates. Through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation which matches children and their families battling pediatric brain tumors with local teams, Bennett and his teammates adopted Dylan Rheker in Nov. 2012.
Competition
Bennett was named to the 2013-14 Big Ten Preseason Watch List. He has enjoyed a standout career at Michigan, entering the season with 51 points (12 goals, 39 assists) in 104 career games. He earned CCHA Defenseman of the Week honors last season on Nov. 4, and is a third round (79th overall) 2009 draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens.
Scott Czarnowczan, Ferris State University Bulldogs defenseman
Classroom
Czarnowczan holds a 3.444 cumulative grade point average in his career at Ferris State University. He is majoring in criminal justice. Last year, his academic performance helped the Bulldogs lead the CCHA and finish eighth in the nation in the NCAA Academic Progress Report. He’s been a valuable team leader in the classroom, which has led to a variety of academic-related awards and honors for the Bulldog Hockey program.
Character
He is serving as the Bulldogs’ 2013-14 team captain this season. Previously, he was FSU’s assistant captain during the 2012-13 campaign. He has played an active role in team development and leadership initiatives. In addition, he displayed great determination in battling back from injury during the 2012-13 season. This year, his efforts as team captain are expected to help lead the Bulldogs as they begin their first season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Scott has been a two-time winner of the program’s Blue Line Competitive Award, which is based in part on his character and spirit displayed on the ice.
Community
Scott has played an active role along with the entire Bulldog Hockey program in a variety of community service endeavors throughout his collegiate career such as middle school activity nights, school and local playground improvement projects, visiting and reading to elementary students and more. This season, he helped the Bulldogs honor breast cancer survivors and raise money locally for the Susan P. Wheatlake Women’s Cancer and Wellness Fund during FSU’s first-ever “Pink In The Rink” game in which the Bulldogs donned special pink jerseys. As team captain, he has helped stress the importance of the community initiatives in the Big Rapids community and surrounding areas. As a sophomore, he and his teammates recognized and honored military members during “Military Appreciation Night” among many other events.
Competition
Besides serving as the Bulldogs’ team captain, Scott has also been one of the program’s top performers on the ice during his collegiate career. He helped FSU reach the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four and win the CCHA Regular-Season Championship as a starting defenseman during his sophomore season. In his junior campaign, FSU became one of only two schools to earn a playoff bye in each of the final four years of the CCHA. He earned team Rookie of the Year Award honors as a freshman and is a two-time recipient of the program’s Blue Line Competitive Award. He’s played in more than 100 career contests and tallied 42 points to date in his collegiate career while ranking among the team’s leaders in assists, blocked shots and plus/minus each season. This year, he was recognized as a potential Preseason All-WCHA selection. Scott has been an active team member on the ice throughout his four years of college hockey and a regular in the starting lineup as one of the team’s top defensemen. He’s a four-year letterwinner at Ferris State.