ANTIGONISH, NS --- StFX Athletics is pleased to announce their newest Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship recipient. Matthew Needham from Penticton, B.C. will be suiting up for the X-Men hockey team this coming fall and has been named the latest recipient of the prestigious award.
"I am extremely excited to welcome Matt to our StFX community and to the X-Men hockey program," comments X-Men head coach Brad Peddle. The 2016 CIS Coach of the Year continues, "His character, experience and leadership make for an outstanding addition, and he is an ideal candidate for the Danny Gallivan scholarship."
The Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship was established in 1992 to honor Danny Gallivan, an outstanding Canadian and widely respected StFX alumnus. Gallivan (1917-1993) was a native of Sydney, N.S. and graduated from StFX in 1942. He was an outstanding radio and television personality who became known as 'the voice of the Montreal Canadiens' after covering play-by-play for over 1800 Canadiens hockey games. He became involved in numerous community fundraising initiatives after his 32 year broadcast career and was inducted into the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame (1991), the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (1989), the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Media Honouree (1984), and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame (1980). Danny Gallivan received an honorary doctor of laws degree from StFX University in 1985.
The Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship is awarded to Canadian male and female varsity athletes who combine qualities of leadership with academic excellence. The award is currently valued up to $5000 per year and is renewable for up to four years as long as the recipient remains on the academic Dean's List.
"Since its inception, the scholarship has been awarded to exceptional athletes who have excelled academically. Matt Needham continues that tradition," noted Danny Gallivan, Jr., a member of the selection committee.
Matt Needham comes to the X-Men hockey squad via the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he has played for the past five seasons. Competing in a demanding league with up to 80 games per year, Matt successfully balanced his time between athletics and academics and was an honors student at Penticton Secondary, graduating in 2013 with straight A's and a 93+ average.
Named captain of the Blazers at only 18 years of age, Matt was a three-captain of the team, a remarkable and rare accomplishment at that level of play. One of their scoring leaders for the past three years, he became one of only seven players in the franchise's 35-year history to play 300 career games. A fan favorite with the Blazers, he was invited to two NHL camps with Dallas (2013) and New Jersey (2014). While with Kamloops he was involved in a number of volunteer initiatives and became the face of the franchise. Matt was awarded the George Stewart Sr. Award for Excellence in Hockey & Education, the Dean Evason Award for Inspirational Leadership & Ability, and the Bob Winters Memorial Trophy as the Grinder of the Year. He also received the Blazers Rookie of the Year award in his first season and was their plus/minus leader.
StFX Athletics is pleased to welcome Matthew Needham as the latest Gallivan scholarship recipient, joining an already highly skilled and talented group of academic student-athletes who have made significant contributions to StFX varsity athletics teams. Current scholarship recipients include Tristen Ross (X-Men basketball) and Brooke Newsome (X-Women rugby).
Ross, an X-Men basketball guard from Truro, N.S., is entering into his second year in the StFX Business Administration program. He was honored for his on-court efforts this past season by being named to the AUS all-rookie team. Newsome, a flanker from Brantford, Ont., is a member of the X-Women rugby team. Entering her fourth year at StFX in the Human Kinetics program, she is coming off a successful 2015 campaign where she was named an AUS all-star for the second consecutive season.
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