WINTHROP, Mass. – The Atlantic Hockey Association's career assists leader, former Holy Cross men's ice hockey student-athlete James Sixsmith, is this week's inductee into the Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor the conference offices announced Tuesday morning. 
 
The Crusader forward was an Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie, All-Atlantic Hockey honoree and AHA Tournament MOP selection during his Crusader career and set Atlantic Hockey career records for assists and assists per game.
 
"When I was playing, I never thought about these teams," Sixsmith said. "I wanted to let my play speak for itself and let the chips fall where they may. Now that I've had some time to reflect on all of it, the word that comes to mind is gratitude. I'm grateful that I was able to stay healthy, grateful Paul Pearl gave me an opportunity, grateful for my teammates making me look better than I was, and grateful that the voters thought I was one of the top-20. I could name a dozen other things but take any of them away and we're not having this conversation."
 
The Alexandria, Va., native joined the Crusaders program in time for the school's Atlantic Hockey debut in the conference's inaugural 2003-04 season. Sixsmith finished fifth on the team in scoring with 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists to earn AHA All-Rookie Team honors. Holy Cross stormed to a 17-4-3 mark in conference play to win the regular season title then captured the first Atlantic Hockey Postseason crown with a 4-0 win over Sacred Heart in the championship game to clinch the AHA's first NCAA berth. Sixsmith and the Crusaders fell to North Dakota, 3-0 in the opening round of that season's NCAA tournament to finish the year with a 22-10-4 record.
 
As a sophomore, Sixsmith was the Crusaders' No. 2 scorer with a 9g-28a/37p line to rank No. 2 in assists and No. 5 in scoring in the conference. That set the stage for a junior campaign that included one of the greatest moments in Atlantic Hockey history for Holy Cross the following season.
 
Individually in 2005-06, Sixsmith turned in his first 40-point campaign with a 12g-28a/40p effort as the Crusaders again won the Atlantic Hockey regular season and postseason titles. Sixsmith earned AHA All-Tournament and AHA Tournament MOP honors that season after recording tournament highs in points (seven), power play points (four) and power play goals (two). 
 
The postseason victory put Holy Cross in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. Seeded 15th, the Atlantic Hockey representative was sent to Grand Forks, N.D., to face No. 2 overall seed Minnesota in the first round. The Crusaders would stun the college hockey world that day as they skated off with a 4-3 overtime upset win over the Golden Gophers. Sixsmith contributed an assist on Holy Cross' lone power-play tally in the win.
 
Sixsmith's senior year saw him etch his name in the Atlantic Hockey record book in several categories. He finished the season with career highs in goals (17), assists (30) and points (47) to lead Holy Cross in scoring and finish third in the conference in scoring and assists. He established AHA records that still stand today for career assists (104), assists per game (0.73) and assists in a single game (five vs. Canisius on Nov. 4, 2006). For his efforts, Sixsmith earned All-Atlantic Hockey honors and was voted the conference's Individual Sportsmanship Award winner. He remains one of just four players in AHA history to finish his career with 100 or more assists. His 152 points rank No. 8 in Atlantic Hockey history.
 
"James got better all four years," said Paul Pearl, his former head coach. "He really blossomed at Holy Cross. A good combination of talent and brains. We were fortunate to have him. I thought he would be a small, skilled offensive guy for us. What I missed was how competitive he was. He played with ferocity."
 
Following his college career, Sixsmith embarked on a professional career that included stops in the AHL and ECHL as well as overseas stints in Germany, Austria and Norway. 

Atlantic Hockey 20th Season
The Atlantic Hockey Association is celebrating its 20th season of competition in 2022-23 with the recognition of the top 20 players from the conference's first two decades. This distinguished group will also comprise the first class of inductees into the Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor. The honorees will be revealed weekly during the 2022-23 regular season with the final player revealed on Feb. 21.

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