PROVIDENCE, RI - Twelve different NCAA hockey-playing institutions con boast JOFA ALL-AMERICANS today as the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced college hockey's best players this afternoon at the NCAA "Frozen Four" in Providence, RI. The Eagles of Boston College. the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota, and the Badgers of the University of Wisconsin each placed three players among the 24 honored players. All of the BC players were First Team selections, including repeat First Team players Mike Mottau and Brian Gionta. Nine players are still competing for a national title here in Providence. In addition to the six from BC and North Dakota, St. Lawrence University has two All-Americans and the University of Maine has one.

The East squad is a veteran group, with five seniors on the six-man First Team. By contrast, only two of the West first team will graduate and only four of the 12 players honored on both teams.

The 24 players were chosen by the nation's head coaches under the auspices of the AHCA, and sponsored for the first time by Jofa. The AHCA represents more than 800 ice hockey coaches of close to 300 institutions nationwide. Founded in 1947, the AHCA originally served only the Men's varsity college hockey community, but has now branched out to embrace the needs of all of amateur hockey in the United States, including women's hockey and non-varslty hockey.

JOFA is a flagship brand of The Hockey Company, which through its subsidiaries, is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of hockey skates, sticks, helmets and protective equipment, as well as National Hockey League authentic and replica jerseys. In addition, the company manufactures and markets products under the CCM, KOHO, CANADIEN, and HEATON brand names. The HEATON and KOHO brands of goalie equipment are now prominent in the world market, while the JOFA brand is the protective equipment of choice among professional ice hockey players.

Other facts about these All-Americans:

• 13 players come from the United States and 11 from Canada.
  
• Players come from eight states and six provinces.
  
• There are eleven seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores, and one fresman (Wisconsin's Dany Heatley).
  
• All ten Hobey Baker Award finalists are All-Americans.