DENVER – Senior Erich Fear of the Denver Pioneers hockey team presented by Centura Health was named the recipient of the NCHC's fifth annual Postgraduate Scholarship, the conference announced on Thursday.
 
Fear received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration (finance) from DU in March of 2019, finishing in three years with a 3.97 cumulative GPA. The Winnetka, Illinois native pursued a master's degree in accountancy during his senior season, compiling a 3.90 GPA and appearing in 20 games for the Pioneers.
 
"We are very proud of the work NCHC student-athletes continue to do both in the classroom and on the ice. As the NCAA's Elite 90 winner in 2019, Erich continues to impress with his high-level commitment to academics while training and competing every week in the rigors of the NCHC," NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton said. "We are proud and honored to select Erich as this year's NCHC Postgraduate Scholarship recipient."
 
Fear is expected to complete his master's degree in the fall of 2020. Using his finance and eventual accountancy degrees, Fear has an interest in building and managing businesses that commercialize new technologies, promote sustainability and improve our infrastructure. During the summer of 2018, he gained experience as an investment banking analyst for Capstone Headwaters. For the last year, Fear has been working as a financial analyst for Renova Capital Partners, strategizing directly with the company's Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, as well as assisting with financial modeling.
 
"Thank you to the NCHC for awarding me this scholarship," Fear said. "Our conference is the best in college hockey, and I am grateful to have the conference's support as I pursue a graduate degree. Thank you to my teammates, coaches and staff at DU for a great four years. Without their support, my accomplishments and future opportunities would not be possible. It is disappointing that our senior class didn't get one more chance to compete for a championship, but I am proud of all that we have accomplished at Denver over the past four years. Also, I'd like to extend a special thank you to Keith Miller, Nancy Sampson, Cindi Nagai, David Kummer, Greg Grauberger, and all our professors for supporting our team academically."
 
Fear is a two-time American Hockey Coach's Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar, four-time member of the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team and four-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher in each year of competition. Last season, Fear was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Men's At-Large Team and received the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the 2019 Frozen Four. On the ice, Fear had two goals, five assists, 52 penalty minutes and +7 rating in 84 career games, helping the Pioneers to three Gold Pans, the 2017 Penrose Cup, the 2018 Frozen Faceoff title and the 2017 National Championship.
 
The NCHC's Postgraduate Scholarship is funded by a grant from the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs, which has also supported the NCHC by providing its office headquarters on the grounds of the Penrose House and helping cover the cost of the Penrose Cup. Fear's scholarship award amount will be $7,500.
 
"The NCHC membership and Board of Directors are thankful for the support of Mr. Kyle Hybl and the El Pomar Foundation Board of Directors." Fenton said. "Celebrating our student's success is a cornerstone of our conference and we are proud to share in this honor with El Pomar."
 
To be eligible for the NCHC's Postgraduate Scholarship, the student-athlete must be a senior on the official NCAA hockey roster with at least a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average, who plans to continue his academic studies beyond his undergraduate degree. The recipient must enroll in a postgraduate degree program within three years of receiving the scholarship to collect the financial aid. The winner is chosen by a vote of the NCHC's Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs) from among the nominees submitted by each school's FAR.
 
The NCHC's other award winners, including all year-end playing awards, will be announced next week. On Monday, the NCHC's Sportsmanship Award, Three Stars Award and Media Excellence Award will be announced. Tuesday will feature both Offensive and Defensive Defenseman of the Year and Goaltender of the Year, while Wednesday will award Forward, Defensive Forward and Rookie of the Year. Finally, on Thursday, NCHC Player of the Year, Herb Brooks Coach of the Year and Senior Scholar-Athlete will be revealed.
 
PREVIOUS NCHC POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
2016 – Gabe Levin, Denver
2017 – Aaron Hadley, WMU and Kirk Thompson, Omaha
2018 – Joel Messner, Omaha
2019 – Ryan Galt, Omaha
2020 – Erich Fear, Denver
 
Coronavirus Updates
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the hockey program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.  
 
SHOP PIONEERS: Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.

-OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME- 
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram