BRUNSWICK, Maine – Bowdoin sophomore Will Rice (Cambridge, Mass.) has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 Joe Concannon Award, given by the Gridiron Club of New England.
 
Honoring the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England, the Concannon Award is celebrating its 25^th year and was established in 2001 shortly after the passing of the longtime writer for The Boston Globe, who had a great passion for the game of college hockey while always advocating strongly for amateur athletics.
 
Rice, a Buckingham, Browne & Nichols graduate, has enjoyed a breakout campaign as a sophomore for the Polar Bears, who rank 12^th in the latest USCHO.com Division III poll. A forward, Rice leads the team in scoring with 15 points on seven goals and eight assists while posting a +9.  He has also won 167 faceoffs for the Polar Bears this winter.
 
Rice is one of 36 semifinalists for the honor, with finalists set to be announced following conference playoffs in March. The Polar Bears will return to action on Friday evening against Hamilton in a battle between nationally-ranked squads at 7:00 p.m. in Watson Arena.