For Immediate Release
Contact Dave Geringer, Sports Information Director, (508) 990-9651  [log in to unmask]
Thursday, April 13, 2006					

ERIC FRANK TO RECEIVE THOM LAWLER AWARD

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA– Senior forward Eric Frank (Waltham, MA/Traverse City Enforcers) of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team has been named to receive a prestigious award. 

Frank has been named the recipient of the annual Thom Lawler Award, which is presented to an NCAA Division II or III hockey player in New England each season.
The award is presented in memory of the late Thom Lawler, who served as Head Coach and Director of Athletics at Merrimack College and led Merrimack to the NCAA Division II championship in 1978. The Eastern Hockey Officials’ Association presents it. Ned Bunyon of the association, who will present the award to Frank tonight at the New England Hockey Writers’ Association’s annual dinner, said that the award goes annually to a player who exhibits respect for coaches, officials and opponents.
“Eric had a great career at UMass Dartmouth, and was instrumental in our success,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “He had the chance to finish his season by playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the East Coast Hockey League, and hopefully, he will continue to have success in the professional ranks.”

Frank concluded his Corsair career this season and ranks seventh on the all-time list in points at UMass Dartmouth with 67 goals and 90 assists for 157 points in 92 games. He ranks sixth in assists and ninth in goals. As a senior, he had 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points in 28 games, tying him for second in scoring in the ECAC Northeast Conference. He had three power play goals and five game-winning goals. 

He was named to the ECAC Northeast Conference All-Tournament Team after scoring five of the Corsairs’ 12 goals during the tournament, including the empty-net goal that clinched the championship game. UMass Dartmouth went 25-5 during his senior year, advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time and became the first ECAC Northeast Conference team to ever win a playoff game. 

Frank was the first UMass Dartmouth player to earn All-America honors when he was named as a junior. He was also named ECAC Player of the Year. As a junior, he led all of Division III in scoring with 24 goals, 35 assists and 59 points and led the nation with 2.27 points per game (59 points in 26 games). 

Frank is a two-time team Most Valuable Player, and a three-time ECAC and New England Hockey Writers All-Star, and was a finalist for the Joe Concannon Award this year. 


UMASS DARTMOUTH HOCKEY