WINONA, Minn. — On Feb. 8, 2021, Saint Mary's University's Delaney Wolf (Bismarck, N.D.) was thrust into the spotlight as a nominee for the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award.
 
Wednesday, the spotlight got just a little brighter for the Cardinal senior, as the HHA Foundation announced that — for the second year in a row — Wolf was one of the three finalists for the award,
 
The Hockey Humanitarian Award is celebrating its 26th year, and is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
 
Here's a look at this year's three finalists:
 
Delaney Wolf (Bismarck, N.D.), Senior, Defense, Saint Mary's University
Wolf has proven to be a team leader from the minute she stepped on the Saint Mary's campus. Voted a team captain as both a junior and a senior, Wolf is beloved by her teammates, coaching staff and Saint Mary's professors — because they all know she is going to bring her best to whatever she is asked to do. Despite balancing the rigors of carrying a 4.0 GPA as a double-major in Biochemistry and Spanish and playing collegiate hockey, not to mention playing the French horn in the university band, Wolf finds time to give back — tutoring fellow Saint Mary's student-athletes, hosting team meals, mentoring youth hockey players in the Winona association, and spending countless hours participating in local volunteer work both in her hometown of Bismarck, N.D., and in Winona, Minn.
 
Jacob Adkins (Centennial, Col.) and Andrew Walker (Mason, Mich.), Sophomore, Forward, UMass Boston)
It all started with two pairs of roller blades and a friendly wager. UMass Boston men's hockey sophomores Jake Adkins and Andy Walker found a positive in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as they teamed up to become the "Men In Blades." The duo rollerbladed nearly 900 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Mason, Michigan this summer, to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS). Over the course of their journey, the pair raised over $30,000 for the ACS and raised awareness of the many charities that needed continued donations in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. 
 
Josh Kosack (Oakville, Ont.), Senior, Forward, Union College
Two years ago, a chance encounter with a teenage fan at an away game inspired Union College senior forward Josh Kosack to create "Kozi's Kids," an initiative that gives local Schenectady children a chance to experience a college hockey game – many for the first time. Through the program, which utilizes unused game tickets and concession vouchers from Union players, Kosack arranges for transportation to a Union men's hockey game, gives children a tour of the locker room before the game, and also answers questions from the children about life as a college student and a student-athlete. The nature of Kozi's Kids changed dramatically this year due to the pandemic, but that did not stop Kosack from giving back to the community in different ways. Without hockey games to bring local children to this season, he singlehandedly raised more than $5,000 to purchase Christmas presents for Schenectady children this holiday season. And in the same week that his team received word that its 2020-21 season was canceled, Josh delivered more than 100 coats to a local Schenectady charity as part of a drive he initiated on campus. Even without a season of his own, Kosack still went to work helping others get through a challenging time.
 
Amanda Conger from St. Anselm College was honored as the 2020 recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
 
The 26th recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award will be honored in a ceremony on Friday, April 9 as part of the NCAA Men's Frozen Four weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa.