This years Scott Smith Award winner is Dave Chadwick.
Proudly pictured here with his sons, Davey ’11 (left) and Kyle ’13.
Dave is a third generation native western New Yorker, born and raised in Buffalo, NY. WNY is known as a hockey hotbed, and the cold winter weather on the Niagara Frontier allows denizens to turn their back yards into hockey rinks from December through March. While growing up, Dave would play hockey all winter long after school, taking a break for dinner, and then returning to play again under spotlights his father had mounted on the garage, until it was time to do homework.
Dave played competitive league hockey through high school, and also found the time to coach a Pee Wee team. Through high school, Dave’s play on the ice was known more for his truculence than for his scoring touch, but his hard work earned him a berth in the local All-Star game as a left wing, with the thrilling opportunity to play the game in Memorial Auditorium, called “The Aud” — the original home of the Buffalo Sabres. In high school, Dave competed on the ice against Buffalo area star Pete “Smoothie” Scamurra, who between 1975-1980 played for the Washington Capitals.
Dave graduated from West Point, and served in the U.S. Army as an Airborne-Ranger Infantryman, but never lost his love of the game. Ultimately settling in northern Virginia, Dave captained a men’s league team playing in the Fairfax Hockey League prior to him and his wife Kathy raising two sons that began skating by the age of 2. Both sons competed at the USA Hockey Tier I youth hockey level prior to attending Prep, and Dave became a USA Hockey Master Coach (the so-called “Ph.D.” of coaching). Along the way Dave served as Director of Operations for the Tier I hockey league, and club scheduler before his sons came to Prep.
At Prep, Dave served as Assistant Manager of the varsity hockey team for 2 years supporting manager and 2012 Scott Smith award winner John Marcus, followed by serving as team manager for 4 years, all during Coach Sean O’Leary’s tenure. Dave is most proud that both of his sons graduated from Prep (Davey ’11, Kyle ’15), and that both were selected as Prep hockey team captains and attained All-IAC and All-Met status. Both sons matriculated to William & Mary with Davey graduating summa cum laude in May 2015, while Kyle is currently a junior.
Although a life long Sabres (and Bills) fan, Dave’s all-time favorite NHL player is the Golden Jet — Bobby Hull, and to this day his favorite number is number 9. Dave’s favorite hockey moment is cheering on Prep’s stunning 2010 come-from-behind playoff victory over Landon that captured the IAC championship.
Georgetown Prep Hockey 