December 11, 2007

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award is presented to a deserving recipient on the day before the last college hockey game of the season. But that doesn’t mean that college hockey fans, players and media members don’t think about it all season. Inside College Hockey's Hobey Tracker looks at the top three candidates for the award, those whose stock is rising or falling, and other players worthy of consideration.

The Hobey Tracker will be updated every other Wednesday morning during the first half of the season, and every Wedneday morning during the second half of the season.

THE BIG BOARD

1. Kevin Porter
Michigan
Senior | Forward

To Date: 18-11—29, 9PPG, +13
The Buzz: If this were an election, Porter would have been declared the winner with approximately 50 percent of the precincts reporting. Is there anything about his performance over the last two weeks to give us pause? Well, Porter — who continues to lead the nation in goals, power play goals, and points — had a paltry (for him) two goals and three assists in the Wolverines' last four games. If only our elected officials could perform with similar consistency ...

2. Peter Mannino
Denver
Senior | Goalie

To Date: 12-4-0, 1.70 GAA, .934 sv%, 3 SHO
The Buzz: There are other goalies with better numbers, but it's unlikely anyone in the nation has made as many big saves as Mannino. The only goalie the Pioneers have used this season, he's allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of his 16 starts. He really hasn't been called upon to steal a game this season, though he had notable outings against Maine, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Perhaps the biggest question regarding Mannino's candidacy is his stamina: he hasn't played in more than 23 games in any of his three previous seasons at Denver.

3. Ryan Lasch
St. Cloud State
Soph. | Forward

To Date: 11-12—23, 5 PPG
The Buzz: The Huskies have been on the wrong end of five straight one-goal losses, and Lasch has been caught up in a mini-slump of his own. He's managed a goal and three assists over SCSU's last five outings, but his plus-minus rating during that span is a woeful -7. The road gets no easier for Lasch — his Huskies play three of the nation's 10 stingiest defenses (Colorado College, Miami, North Dakota) between now and Jan. 5, and could face Harvard, ranked second in scoring defense, in the Ohio Hockey Classic.

 
BULL MARKET

Nathan Gerbe
Boston College
Junior

Forward

Someone has to emerge from the jumble that is the Hockey East scoring race, and Gerbe, a fairly popular preseason Hobey candidate, is as safe a bet as one can make. The Eagles have wobbled to a 5-4-5 mark with just one game remaining prior in a first half that has been fraught with injuries, suspensions, and turmoil. If Gerbe can start the second half of the season in the same manner in which he's wrapping up the first half (seven points in Boston College's sweep of Boston University a little more than a week ago), maintain his knack for scoring important goals, and help the Eagles can string together a few wins, he'll rocket up the list of favorites.
BEAR MARKET

ECAC Hockey

Outside of Harvard goalie Kyle Richter, the pickins for Hobey hopefuls in this league are pretty slim. Among preseason favorites, Clarkson's Nick Dodge has been good, scoring 5-8—13 in 15 games, but that's off his pace from a year ago when he totalled 18-21—39 in 36 contests. Quinnipiac's Brandon Wong scored 27 goals and 44 points as a freshman; he's got two goals and 12 points so far this year. Underclassman defections took a toll on the leauge, too — gone from last season are Dartmouth's David Jones, Clarkson's Shawn Weller, and T.J. Fox of Union
 
HIDDEN HOBEY

Mike Zacharias
Minnesota State
Junior
Goaltender

Life is not fair. Just ask Minnesota State goaltender Mike Zacharias, who ranks sixth in the nation in goals against average (1.65) and save percentage (.938) but owns a 4-3-3 won-loss record. The Plymouth, Minn. native has the misfortune of playing for one of the country's lowest-scoring teams — the Mavericks enter this weekend's series at Bemidji State ranked 50th among the 59 Division I schools in scoring offense, averaging 2.21 goals per game. In his last four starts, however, Zacharias has been nearly impenetrable, posting a 2-0-2 record while stopping 105 of the 110 shots he's faced during that span for a .955 save percentage and a 1.20 GAA.