Maine men’s ice hockey junior goaltender Jeremy Swayman earned a big honor as the hockey postseason awards start to trickle in. Swayman it was announced Monday was tabbed the Walter Brown Award winner. The announcement was made by Jim Connolly from United States College Hockey Online during the Morning Line show with Wayne Harvey on 92.9 the Ticket FM radio in Bangor.
The Walter Brown Award is given to the best United States born hockey player each year in New England. Swayman comes off a spectacular season posting a record of 18-10-5, and led the entire NCAA with 1,099 saves. In Hockey East play, he played all 24 league games going 12-9-3 and helping his team earn the #4 seed in the playoffs that unfortunately were never played. In league contests he led in saves with 782, save percentage at .932, while he was tied for shutouts with three. The 782 saves were tied for the 10th most in league history, and the highest of any goalie in a season since 2010-11.
Swayman becomes the first goaltender to garner this honor since 2007 when the trophy was awarded to John Curry of Boston University. The 6 foot 3 and 200 pounder from Anchorage, Alaska is also the first Maine Black Bear to ever win the award since its induction in 1953.
Maine goalie Jeremy Swayman makes a save in a game against Alaska-Anchorage earlier this season at Alfond Arena in Orono. On Monday Swayman was named the 2020 Walter Brown Award winner. Photo by Anthony DelMonaco