Voting begins for Lowe's Class Award
3/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 9, 2007
The voting has begun for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and Air Force senior defenseman Billy Devoney is one of 10 finalists nationally for the award. Fans can vote by going to www.seniorclassaward.com and choosing the link to vote and then men's hockey.
The criteria to determine the top 10 included the areas of academics, character and community in addition to performance on the ice. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was initially developed in 2001 in basketball. This is the first season of the award for hockey.
Joining Devoney as finalists are: Matt Anderson of Massachusetts, David Brown of Notre Dame, Glenn Fisher of Denver, Curtis Fraser of Alaska-Fairbanks, Jeff Jakaitis of Lake Superior State, Michel Léveillé of Maine, Kirk MacDonald of Rensselaer, Ryan Mahrle of Western Michigan and Nate Raduns of St. Cloud State.
Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the weekend of the Frozen Four.
Devoney has been on the dean's list four times for academic excellence, the commandant's list five times for military excellence and the superintendent's list twice for excelling in academics, military and athletics in the same semester. He is carrying 40 hours his senior year (20 each semester) and has a 3.01 grade point average.
On the ice, Devoney is a four-year letterman who has missed just one game in his four-year career and was chosen as the team captain by his teammates. A consistent, defensive defenseman, he plays a key role in every facet of the game, even-strength, power-play and penalty kill. He has four goals and nine assists in 36 games this season.
In the summer of 2006, Billy was selected to be part of a cadet contingent that was deployed to Qatar for four weeks to experience the operational Air Force and to support the Global War on Terrorism. He spent two weeks with the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, conducting on- and off-base patrols and working Entry Control Points around the base. He also spent time with the Operations Support Squadron Intelligence Flight, assisting with planning missions in Iraq and Afghanistan for the F-16s, F-15s and B-1Bs in support of the Army troops on the ground. Following graduation, he will enter the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant working in the intelligence field.
Devoney has also been active in the community. He has spoken at several local schools about the benefits of staying in school and about playing sports. He has also volunteered time with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation all four years, assisting with the annual Walk for the Cure and the spring gala. He has also visited numerous clinics and hospitals in the Colorado Springs and Denver areas during the holiday season, delivering toys that were generated through the team's annual toy drive.
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