Fitzgerald bestowed NCHC Sportsmanship Award
3/9/2021 3:20:00 PM | Men's Hockey
| NCHC Release |
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - St. Cloud State University men's hockey forward Kevin Fitzgerald (Hinsdale, Ill. / Aberdeen) has made plenty of headlines this season, both for his play on the ice and his work off the ice. After another tremendous 2020-21 season, the senior alternate captain was bestowed the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Sportsmanship Award, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Given to the player who exemplifies sportsmanship in all aspects of the game, Fitzgerald is the second Husky to earn the prestigious honor in the last two seasons, as former standout Patrick Newell earned the award in 2018-19, and the third since the awards inception. A staple in St. Cloud State's top line throughout 2020-21, Fitzgerald appeared in all 24 games for the Huskies during the regular season, recording 13 total points with eight goals and five assists. In 119 career games, Fitzgerald has posted 59 points with 25 goals and 34 assists and was voted alternate captain prior to the 2020-21 season. He additionally has been sent to the penalty box just nine times during the regular season and only once in the entire month of February.
Off the ice, Fitzgerald's resume is equally impressive. An accounting major, Fitzgerald has maintained a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.42 and will graduate in May 2021 with 150 total credits. He is a three-time Academic All-NCHC selection and is currently enrolled in the St. Cloud State honors program. He is a two-time recipient of St. Cloud State's Herberger Business School Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship and earned the Elloyd A. Hauser Scholarship for the Herberger School of Business. During the summer of 2020, Fitzgerald interned with KPMG, an accounting firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and accepted a full time position as an Audit Associate beginning in fall 2021. Additionally, in his spare time, Fitzgerald volunteers with the St. Cloud Frostbite Special Olympics floor hockey program and has participated in several Huskies outreach community programs, including the Polar Plunge, Skate with the Huskies, and Huskies Haulers.
This is not the first time Fitzgerald has made headlines this season, as he was named a finalist for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award in late February. Fans can vote for the award from now until the end of March at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/. Fitzgerald was also nominated for the Hockey Humanitarian Award in early January. Award winners for both the Senior CLASS and Hockey Humanitarian awards will be announced at the Frozen Four in April.
The NCHC will continue to announce its individual award winners throughout the week as a leadup to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. St. Cloud State will officially open the conference tournament against Colorado College at 2:37 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
