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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks to Honor Thomas M. Nichols Scholarship Winners April 13

April 7, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)...The Rochester Americans announced today that team will honor six local high school hockey players during the second-period intermission of the Rochester-Lake Erie American Hockey League contest Sunday, April 13th at The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. Cal Livingston, Tom Sudek, Charlie Shevlin, Dan Smallridge, Colin Hogarth, and Blake Sanderson have been selected as the 2007-08 Thomas M. Nichols scholarship winners.

Nichols was a local attorney at Harris Beach who was instrumental in keeping the Amerks in Rochester during the 1970-71 season. He was also part of the ownership group in the early 1970's. Nichols, who was originally from Boston, was an ardent supporter of youth and high school hockey.

The Scholarship winners were selected by a panel of five members of the Thomas M. Nichols fund: Rick Altier, C.J. Rapp, Mike Doyle, former Aquinas head hockey coach Dr. William Stephan and former Amerks player Steve Langdon.

Livingston has been a member of Geneseo/Livonia's varsity hockey team since the eighth grade and was on his way to becoming the top player in the league due to his outstanding effort and determination. What he lacked in skill, he made up in heart. During his sophomore season, Livingston was diagnosed with a rare case of Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), a disease which attacks the immune system, and forced to spend over a year in the hospital. After missing his junior season, Livingston returned to the ice his senior year as the team captain and since then has been an inspiration to his teammates and coaches.

Sudek has been a member of Gates-Chili's hockey team since 2005 and served as the team captain this past season during his senior campaign. For the past two years, Sudek was forced to deal with his mother's challenging illness of brain cancer. As a result, Sudek has demonstrated the character necessary to handle adversity and become a leader for his teammates. In addition to being a two-sport athlete, Sudek has been able to maintain a high academic GPA in the classroom en route to numerous scholastic awards, including the Presidents Award for Academic Excellence. In his spare time, Sudeks spends countless hours volunteering in the Rochester community.

Shevlin has spent the last three seasons leading the Greece Lightning squad into battle. Shevlin has been described as a very upstanding, hardworking, dedicated and respectful athlete. He is respected by his peers and adults alike, and serves as a role model for his teammates with his consistent ability to put forth an effort that goes above and beyond expectations. Shevlin continually displays acts of kindness and unselfishness both on the ice and in the community. Through his actions and self-motivation, Shevlin has the ability to make the people around him better. In addition to being involved in various extracurricular activities, he also spent over 20 hours providing community service and was the recipient of over 10 academic and athletic awards.

Smallridge joins the group of six finalists after a four-year high school career between the pipes for the Bishop/Kearney Eastridge Kings. During his senior year, Smallridge served as the starting goaltender, playing in all but five minutes of the regular season. His play has been exceptional and his work ethic uncompromised. His teammates enjoyed coming to practice because of the way their goalie approached the game. Smallridge was known for his ability to encourage and lift teammates to succeed. When he's not posting shutouts and making Martin Brodeur-like saves, Smallridge spends time helping out at youth hockey clinics working with young players to help develop and improve themselves and share in the love of the game. Smallridge plans on attending Paul Smith's College to study culinary arts.

Hogarth has suited up for the Pittsford Panthers during the past four seasons and skated his senior year as a first-line player. Hogarth was specifically recognized for his tremendous work ethic and his influential leadership qualities among his teammates. More importantly, it was his passion and overall love for the game of hockey that distinguished him from the group.

Sanderson has been a member of the McQuaid Jesuit Knights hockey program the past four seasons. Although not a very big player, Sanderson played the game like no one was bigger than him. His work ethic was second to none and he had the ability to inspire others around him to work harder. Sanderson always put others before himself, whether it was in the form of a ride to and from practice, or it was doing simple favors for his teammates. When he's not helping the Knights on the ice, Sanderson spends most of his time in the community and remains heavily involved in extracurricular activities. His success is also noticeable in the classroom, earning both first and second honors throughout high school.

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