OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey senior captain Jean-Marc Beadoin (St. Paul, Alb.) has been named one of the 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award is given annually to an outstanding senior NCAA student-athlete who excels on and off the ice.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^TM, the Lowe's Senior CLASSAward focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates who were announced in October.

As a sophomore, Beaudoin became the first player in Quinnipiac's Division I history to be named an assistant captain and continued to do so through his junior year before being named the Bobcats' captain this season. Following his freshman year, Beaudoin married high-school sweetheart, Candace. The couple welcomed their first child on Oct. 7, 2009 - the day Quinnipiac was set to travel to Ohio State for the 2009-10 season opener. Beaudoin did not make the trip with the Bobcats, but has been a leader on and off the ice all season long.

Constant improvement on the ice has been a trend for Beaudoin's career as his goal, assist and point totals have increased each season. This year, Beaudoin has scored seven goals to go along with a career-best 15 assists through 24 games played. The Bobcats' leading scorer for the month of January, he was one of two players to average a point per game.

Off the ice, Beaudoin has been instrumental in the team's community involvement. Quinnipiac Athletic's Positive Play initiative stresses just that, and Beaudoin has been out in front of the team's trips to local elementary schools to reach-out to the youth in the Greater New Haven area. In addition, Beaudoin has also been extensively involved in youth hockey in Hamden for his entire collegiate career. ­

In addition to Beaudoin, Ferris State's Cody Chupp, Air Force's Matt Fairchild, Cornell's Colin Greening, Alaska Fairbanks' Dion Knelsen, UMass' Martin Nolet, St. Cloud State's Garrett Raboin, Denver's Rhett Rakhshani, RIT's Dan Ringwald and Michigan Tech's Eli Vlaisavljevich were also announced as finalists.

These 10 names will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award hockey ballot for a nationwide vote beginning today and concluding March 16. Fan balloting is available on the award's official Web site, http://www.seniorCLASSaward.com, as well as through text messaging. Fans can text HOCKEY to 74567 to vote for the finalists. These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^TM, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards that a senior season can bring. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, Honorary Chairman of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award program has expanded the past two years to include a total of nine NCAA® Division I sports - football, men's and women's soccer, men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, baseball and softball in addition to men's and women's basketball. The award is sponsored by Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA®, and managed by Premier Sports Management. For more information, visit www.seniorCLASSaward.com.