BOSTON – Suffolk junior Jack Kelly was named the 2019-20 J. Thom Lawler Award recipient as announced by the Eastern Massachusetts Hockey Officials Association (EMHOA) on Sunday afternoon. 

Kelly will be honored at The New England Hockey Writers Dinner, which has a to be determined date. The award is given annually in memory of the late J. Thom Lawler, former head coach and athletic director at Merrimack College, was established by the EMHOA chapter and honors a Massachusetts/New England player from Division III for their commitment to their program, university and community.   

Kelly is the second Rams' player to win the prestigious award over the last decade, joining Tim Benedetto took home the honor in 2015.  

"The Lawler Award is one of the most prestigious in college hockey," head coach Chris Glionna said. "To have Jack win this award and our program associated with an award that honors Mr. Lawler is amazing." 

The Arlington, native truly embodied the spirit of the Lawler award – scholarship, leadership and sportsmanship - in his third season in blue-and-gold. The forward, who was elected assistant captain as a junior, was off to a hot start with seven points on four goals and three assists through the first six games, before being sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury.  

Throughout his career, Kelly has proven his versatility on and off the ice. Athletically he has an offensive contributor from the get go and has assembled a 45-point stat line over 54 games played with 22 markers and 23 handouts. Academically, the business economics concentrator maintains a 3.1 grade point average.