St. Thomas Aquinas College Ice Hockey player Shaun Benson was named to the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) 2019-2020 Division 3 All-Atlantic Region First Team on Saturday afternoon.

Benson, the senior defenseman and team captain from Yorktown Heights, NY, was the team's leading point producer on the blue line with 41 points (15 goals & 26 assists) in 22 games during the 2019-2020 season.

In addition to his success on the ice, Benson is also a terrific student inside of the classroom, as he held a 2.71 GPA this past fall semester, while working toward his degree in Special Education.

"What stands out about Shaun is that he is a gifted skater and an exceptionally well conditioned athlete, with possibly the hardest shot in the Atlantic Region. His teammates don't love standing in front of the net when he winds up", remarked St. Thomas Aquinas College Ice Hockey Head Coach Matt Schuster. "Off of the ice, and in the locker room, he's becoming a better leader with each passing day", said Schuster. "We expect another great season from our 4-year captain next year."

When told about receiving this distinguished honor, Shaun Benson expressed his gratitude, saying, "It's a true honor to receive this award. It was a hard-working year for everyone. We knew what type of team we had coming into the season and that it was going to be a special year." Benson also said, "This award means that the hard-work did indeed pay off, but I couldn't have done it without the support of my parents, coaches, teammates and friends. What this means going forward is that the guys on this team are going to want to improve and push each other to also try and receive this honor. It will also make our recruits want to come in and play with the same intensity."

2019-2020 ACHA Division 3 All-Atlantic Region Team