LOWELL, Mass. – Senior goaltender
Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) of the UMass Lowell ice hockey team has been named the winner of the Joe Tomasello Unsung Hero Award, as announced by the New England Hockey Writers Association on Wednesday afternoon.
"I am glad to hear that Henry was acknowledged for this award," said Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "He is an elite goalie who is starting to be recognized as such. He has been able to do such a great job getting his Engineering Degree while being our number one goalie. We look forward to his continued progress this coming season as he continues to chase down awards."
Welsch leads by example, appearing in 22 games for the River Hawks during the 2023-24 season and posting a 2.45 goals against average and .907 save percentage. His .913 save percentage against conference opponents was good for a tie for fourth in the Hockey East, while his 2.34 conference goals against average ranked him in the top five. He was also a two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Week, collecting his first after a 46-save shutout at UConn on October 28.
The award is one of eight named awards given out by the New England Hockey Writers Association and is named after the longtime manager of the Boston Arena, Joe Tomasello, before it became Northeastern's Matthews Arena. At one time, all four Boston schools called the Arena home and it was also the site of many high school leagues, the ECAC Tournament and Massachusetts high school state championships.
He will officially receive the Joe Tomasello Unsung Hero Award at the New England Hockey Writers Association awards reception on April 23.
