Prep’s Blackwell Named Mr. Hockey by ESPN

North Andover has another hockey success story.

Harvard bound St. John’s Prep hockey standout Colin Blackwell from North Andover received top billing from ESPNBoston.com last week as the winner of its first ever Mr. Hockey Award.

The award will continue to be given to the top male high school hockey player in Massachusetts each year. ESPN says a panel of experts – staff, correspondents and high school coaches – chose the winner.

“It’s unquestioned that Colin Blackwell contributed more to his team’s success than any other single player in the state this season,” said Scott Barboza, co-editor of ESPN Boston High Schools in a blog post published on the site. Barboza called him a “marvelous” role model for other high school hockey players.

Blackwell, who will be presented with the award at a later date, was lauded for leading his team to its first appearance in the while racking up some impressive scoring statistics during the regular season. The senior captain from North Andover led all scorers during the postseason with 16 points and was named the Catholic Conference Most Valuable Player.

Blackwell also plays lacrosse for the Eagles’ championship team.