Shane Soderwall of Curry College Wins Sid Watson Award As 2024-25 AHCA Division III Men’s Player of the Year
Shane Soderwall (Algonquin, IL), a sophomore goaltender from Curry
College, is the recipient of the 2025 Sid Watson Award. The award, voted on
by the nation’s Division III head coaches, is presented to the best player at the
men’s NCAA Division III level by the American Hockey Coaches Association.
The announcement was made on the eve of the NCAA Men's Division III Ice
Hockey Championships hosted by Utica University. Soderwall is the first player
from Curry to receive this award.
After making himself known with an NCAA record-tying 98 saves in an NCAA quarterfinals game last season, Soderwall has taken his play to a new level his sophomore year. Soderwall broke his own program record for shutouts in a season with seven this year, and now holds the program record for shutouts in a career with 12, doing so in just two years.
He broke the program record for wins in a season this year, currently sitting at a 24-3-0 record. His 1.45 GAA average is 3rd in the country, with the two players in front of him playing 600 less minutes than him. His .945 save percentage is also 3rd in the country, with the two ahead of him making half as many saves. He has proven himself to be one of, if not the best goalies in the country. This season he was named the CNE Player and Goalie of the Year. Additionally he was named the conference's Elite 20 winner, as he sports a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Curry will take on host Utica in the second semifinal game on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. (Hobart plays Geneseo in the other semifinal). Curry brings a 17-game win streak into the contest.
The runner-up for this year’s Sid Watson Award was Tanner Daniels, a junior forward from Hobart College and Edinboro, PA. Sponsored by the American Hockey Coaches Association, the Sid Watson Award honors the memory of former Bowdoin College head coach and athletic director Sid Watson. A three-time AHCA Coach of the Year, Watson served Bowdoin for more than 30 years, winning 326 games in 24 seasons as head coach.
| Winners of the Sid Watson Award | |||
| 1993 | Frank Cirone | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Forward |
| 1994 | Ray Alcindor | Middlebury | Forward |
| 1995 | Charlie Gaffney | Bowdoin | Forward |
| 1996 | Ian Smith | Middlebury | Defense |
| 1997 | Steve Toll | RIT | Forward |
| 1998 | Mark Spence | Middlebury | Forward |
| 1999 | Rob Smillie | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2000 | Steve Aronson | St. Thomas | Forward |
| 2001 | Keith Aucoin | Norwich | Forward |
| 2002 | Jerry Galway | RIT | Defense |
| 2003 | Maris Ziedins | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2004 | Kevin Cooper | Middlebury | Forward |
| 2005 | Kurtis McLean | Norwich | Forward |
| 2006 | Adam Hanna | St. John's | Goalie |
| 2007 | Andrew Gallant | Manhattanville | Goalie |
| 2008 | Kyle Jones | St. Norbert | Goalie |
| 2009 | Jeff Landers | Amherst | Defense |
| 2010 | David Martinson | Gustavus Adolphus | Forward |
| 2011 | Chris Berenguer | Hamline | Defense |
| 2012 | Jonathan LaRose | Amherst | Goalie |
| 2013 | Paul Rodrigues | SUNY Oswego | Forward |
| 2014 | David Jacobson | St. Norbert | Goalie |
| 2015 | Drew Fielding | St. Thomas | Goalie |
| 2016 | Jamie Murray | Babson | Goalie |
| 2017 | Evan Buitenhuis | Hamilton | Goalie |
| 2018 | Colin Larkin | UMass Boston | Forward |
| 2019 | Devin McDonald | Geneseo | Goalie |
| 2020 | Tom Aubrun | Norwich | Goalie |
| 2021 | Not Awarded | ||
| 2022 | Peter Bates | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2023 | Matus Spodniak | Adrian | Forward |
| 2024 | Devon Bobak | Trinity | Goalie |
| 2025 | Shane Soderwall | Curry | Goalie |
