Easton, CT Resident Matt LoGuercio Wins the Inaugural NCAA® Men's Hockey Bracket Contest presented by Northwestern Mutual

MILWAUKEE, April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Self-described hockey fanatic, Matt LoGuercio of Easton, Conn., has won the NCAA^® Men's Ice Hockey Bracket Contest presented by Northwestern Mutual, the company announced today. Out of more than 2,000 participants, LoGuercio was selected to receive a $500 gift card to the NCAA Shop, the official online store of the NCAA, while one additional randomly selected participant will receive a $100 gift card to the NCAA Shop. 

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"Congratulations to Matt LoGuercio for his exceptional picks in winning the NCAA^® Men's Ice Hockey Bracket Contest presented by Northwestern Mutual," said Conrad York, vice president of marketing at Northwestern Mutual. "We were so pleased to see the enthusiasm of NCAA hockey fans for this contest. We look forward to sharing that excitement with our customers and fans with future contests including men's lacrosse and softball."

Beginning on March 25, Northwestern Mutual gave fans the opportunity to fill out their brackets to predict the winners of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship. The contest was part of a series by the NCAA Corporate Partner to extend excitement throughout all championship seasons.

"When I saw that Northwestern Mutual had created the men's ice hockey bracket contest, all I could think was, 'It's about time!'" said LoGuercio. "I'm very passionate about hockey so it was natural for me to participate, and I couldn't be more thrilled to have won."

A hockey fanatic to the core, LoGuercio's passion for the sport led him to accurately pick the teams participating in the Men's Frozen Four^® and come out on top with one of the highest scores in the contest. LoGuercio has been involved in hockey in various capacities for more than 34 years, from youth and college to amateur leagues. His love for the sport has even rubbed off on his son, who LoGuercio coaches on his youth team, and who has already selected the hockey jersey he would like his dad to buy him using his NCAA Shop gift card.

In addition to softball and men's lacrosse in May, Northwestern Mutual will introduce NCAA bracket contests on Facebook throughout 2013, including baseball in June and women's soccer in December.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. 

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual is among the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2013 according to FORTUNE® magazine and has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 156 years.

As a mutual company with $1.4 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual has no shareholders. The company focuses solely and directly on its clients and seeks to deliver consistent and dependable value to them over time.

Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.

NCAA, March Madness and Frozen Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual