BUFFALO – Canisius head coach Dave Smith has been named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced.

Smith is one of 10 finalists for the award. Nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, along with coaches whose teams have advanced to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey semifinals.

The 2016-17 Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year, Smith guided Canisius to the program's first AHC regular season title and the squad's fourth appearance in the semifinals of the AHC Tournament in the past five seasons.

Picked to finish ninth in the league's preseason poll, the Griffs completed the campaign with a 21-11-7 overall record, highlighted by an 18-4-6 ledger in league play. Canisius closed out the regular season with a program-record unbeaten streak that spanned the final two months of league play.  

Under Smith's guidance, the Griffs led Atlantic Hockey in both power play (.246) and penalty kill (.899) percentage, ranked first in scoring defense (1.89) and were tied for second in scoring offense (3.21). The Griffs also ranked in the top six nationally in penalty kill (87.2/3rd), scoring defense (2.18/5th) and goals against (85/6th).   

The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments. The actual award will be presented at the AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet in Naples, Florida, on Wednesday evening, April 26. The AHCA Coach of the Year Awards are chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association.