WAKEFIELD, MA. – The Hockey East Association announced today Geoff Dion (North Attleboro, Mass./Merrimack College) and Ryan Smith (East Setauket, New York/Boston College) have been named as graduate interns in the Hockey East office for the 2016-17 season.

Dion marks the first Hockey East graduate intern from Merrimack College and will primarily be working with the Women's Hockey East Association and the American Hockey Coaches' Association. Dion graduated summa cum laude from Merrimack College with a B.S. in Business Administration with a double concentration in Sport Management and Marketing.

He was active on campus in several different areas, including serving on the Orientation Committee and participating in intramural sports. Geoff was a Building Manager for the Merrimack Athletics Complex where a large part of his responsibilities included setting up, maintaining, and overseeing the arena for Merrimack College hockey games. He was also the President for Merrimack's Sport Management Club, where he volunteered with Hockey East at both the Women's and Men's Championships in 2016.

In addition to his duties in the Hockey East office, Dion has worked at Gillette Stadium, handling a variety of on-field activities during New England Patriots games as well as assisting with other stadium events such as Copa America Centenario. Along with that position, he also serves as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator at WaterFire Providence, where he helps to recruit, coordinate, and organize volunteers for the unique Providence art installation that draws around 65,000 visitors at each lighting.

Prior to attending Merrimack College Geoff graduated from Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, Massachusetts. During the summers from 2011 to 2015 he was employed by the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. He worked as a hawker and then as manager of McCoy Stadium hawkers over those five years. In 2015 he received the Pawtucket Red Sox Employee Scholarship award.

Dion intends to return to school to earn his master's degree in Sport Management.

Smith is a 2016 graduate of Boston College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree while majoring in both Communication and History, and will serve duties primarily associated with the men's league. During his four years at the Heights, Smith worked in various positions within BC's Athletic Department, including the Athletic Communications office as a media relations assistant, and in Athletic Operations as an athletic event assistant. Smith worked with various varsity sports, including men's and women's ice hockey, football, baseball, men's and women's soccer, and women's lacrosse. Smith also covered BC athletics as a sports staff writer for the student magazine The Gavel.

During the summer of 2015, Smith served as a junior account executive for SJX Partners, a sports and entertainment marketing company specializing in sponsorship sales. Smith also worked for McNeil, Gray & Rice Strategic Communications, a public relations agency in Boston.

A native of East Setauket, New York, Smith was a two sport athlete at Ward Melville High School, lettering in baseball and ice hockey. Smith continued to play baseball as a team member and the communications officer of the Boston College club baseball team.

Smith also plans continue his studies working towards a master's degree in Business Administration.