Westfield State senior forward Gianluca Marini has been named as a Semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award, presented annually by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England.

The Joe Concannon Award 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.

A native of Long Island, N.Y., Marini now resides in Lighthouse Point, Fla. when not skating for the Owls.

This season, he has compiled seven goals and 12 assists while primarily skating on the Owls' top line.  He's scored two game-winners for Westfield, including a dramatic overtime goal against UMass Dartmouth in a 3-2 win on Dec. 2.  He also serves as an assistant captain for the Owls.

Marini is the first member of the Owls to be named as a semifinalist for the Concannon Award since Dennis Zak in 2010.

Westfield State is 12-8-1 this season, and currently sits in fourth place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference standings.  The Owls host Framingham State tonight at 7:35 p.m. at Amelia Park Arena in Westfield.  Live stats and videostream of the game are available at WestfieldStateOwls.com