Stowe, Vermont - April 10, 2015 - North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) alum Brittany Ammerman has been selected as the 2015 recepient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to 'Hockey's Finest Citizen'. There were five finalists from both men's and women's NCAA hockey. The award was presented today at the Men's NCAA Frozen Four in Boston.

Ammerman spent three years at NAHA, as Captain her senior year, before moving onto the University of Wisconsin where she's a senior this year. While at NAHA she was selected for the USA Hockey U18 National Team twice and went on to win the NCAA Championships at Wisconsin.

The Hockey Humanitarian Award celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and has become one of the most pregtigious awards in sports. Ammerman, a 2014 Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist (the award for the best player in women's hockey), started the Nikumbuke Women’s Soccer League in Kenya. A women’s studies and biology major, she was inspired to help seven remote villages in Kenya start a league after visiting the country with Health by Motorbike, a University of Wisconsin group that provides health services and education to women in Kenya. With the help of U.S. soccer legend Julie Foudy, Ammerman and the league raised more than $21,000 to provide uniforms and shoes to seven villages that plan on playing a tournament this summer.

In addition to Ammerman, another NAHA alum, Zoe Hickel was also one of the final five nominees. A senior at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and former Captain at NAHA, Hickel has been very instrumental in her home state of Alaska in creating programs and fundraising to help youth with active lifestyles, healthy living and opportunities in several sports.

"We're very proud of Brittany Ammerman and her selection to receive the Hockey Humanitarian Award," said Bill Driscoll, Director at NAHA. "Over the year's she's not only been one of the best players, but also one of the best young women we've had attend NAHA. She's very deserving of this award, as is Zoe Hickel in being one of the finalists for this great honor."

In the words of the Hockey Humanitarian Organization:

“In the end, it’s not how many times you touch the puck,

but how often you touch a life.”