UMaine women’s hockey goalie Jillian Flynn has been selected to receive the Joe Tomasello Unsung Hero Award from the New England Hockey Writer’s Association.
After playing for Presque Isle High School, Flynn spent the past four years as back-up goalie for the Black Bears. She was named captain of the 2019-20 UMaine team and has a 4.0 grade point average in pre-med.
Jillian Flynn, SR Goaltender, University of Maine: Flynn, a four-year backup goaltender for the Black Bears squad, did not play a single minute this season, her senior year. Her career totals: four games, 76 minutes, .947 save percentage and a 0.78 goals allowed average. A native of Presque Isle, Maine, Flynn stole the show at this year’s Hockey East Tournament banquet, providing her observations as a back-up and pointing out with a smile how her stats were better than all the starters she backed up.
Said the coaching staff about Flynn: “She is the most remarkable person or player you will coach. She has impacted the state of Maine with her generosity and heart. You saw her infectious humor at the 2020 Women’s Hockey East Banquet. With her humor aside, Jillian is a pre-med 4.0 GPA student and on the leadership group for Student Athlete Academic Center. She scheduled tutor times every single week for three years with players on our team and with other students. It didn’t matter if it was a road trip and you got in at 1:00 a.m. If your time with her on the team was at 8:00 a.m., you went. She had an impact on all the boys and girl youth and high school hockey programs in Maine. She has become a role model for the entire state of Maine in what a hockey player and person should be. She was voted captain with 100% of the team voting for her… as a third string goalie. She helped change an entire hockey culture in four years and was the leading reason why Maine Women’s hockey has been to the Hockey East semifinals in two of the last three years. As a leader she strived to be a better person and hockey player. Every week for two years she met with the staff and other member of the leadership team to be better. On the ice, she had goalie sessions at 7:00 a.m., followed by video at 7:45. This was for two years and she never missed a minute. Jillian is a compassionate teammate, student, and person. This is why she will succeed being a Physician’s Assistant, wife, and person.” – NEHWA Release
Flynn is one of three winners of the award. Yale captain Laura Anderson and Vermont goalie Stefanos Lekkas are the other two recipients.
The award is named for Joe Tomasello, a longtime manager of Boston Arena (now Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena).
