January 8, 2008

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. Nathan Gerbe
Boston College
Junior | Forward

To Date: 16-13—29, 6 PPG, +10
The Buzz: Gerbe jumps to the top of the Hobey Tracker because, in the words of a Boston College fan and frequent e-mailer to INCH, "He's a pimp." Over the last six games, college hockey's Huggy Bear has scored 11 goals and nine assists. Not surprisingly, Gerbe's tear coincided with a BC win streak that ended at five games last weekend with a loss at Clarkson. No disrespect to the other candidates, but the race may be over if Gerbe plays at this level during the overhyped Beanpot.

2. Kevin Porter
Michigan
Senior | Forward

To Date: 19-12—31, 10 PPG, +14
The Buzz: After notching a goal and an assist against Providence in the first round of the GLI, Porter was blanked in the Wolverines' title-game win over Michigan Tech, ending his nine-game point streak — his first score-sheet goose egg since Nov. 10. Sliding to the second spot isn't an indictment on Porter's play, but a testament to Gerbe's phenomenal run. And while Porter won't enjoy as stage as grand as the Beanpot, U-M does has upcoming series against Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Miami.

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

To Date: 17-15—32, 8 PPG, -4
The Buzz: The nation's leading scorer has vaulted to a tie for second place in the country in goal scoring thanks to a three-game goal streak that started with a hat trick in the Huskies' 4-1 win against Harvard in the Ohio Hockey Classic third-place game. SCSU's remaining schedule includes — home-and-home series with Minnesota and Minnesota State, trips to Colorado College, Alaska Anchorage, and North Dakota, and home dates with Michigan Tech and Wisconsin.

 
BULL MARKET

Brock Trotter
Denver
Sophomore

Forward

The Pioneers have plenty of star power at forward with the likes of Rakhshani, Ruegsegger, Bozak, and Ostrow, but Trotter's the one who's shining the brightest right now. He ranks third in the WCHA in goals (12), assists (15), and points (27), and he's been at his best in 5-on-5 situations as evidenced by his plus-minus rating of +15 and 19 even-strength points. The Brandon, Manitoba native comes into this weekend's series with Wisconsin on a serious roll — he's scored at least one goal in each of DU's previous four games, and has recorded 5-6—11over that stretch.
BEAR MARKET

Defensemen

Defensemen have won the Hobey Baker Award three times since 1999, and at least one blueliner has been named a finalist in 11 of the last 13 years. The odds of a defenseman being among the final 10 in 2008 look fairly slim. Part of that is due to the defection of underclassmen to the National Hockey League — Messrs. Erik Johnson and Jack Johnson serving as Exhibit 1A and 1B. An off-ice incident robbed us of ex-BC rearguard Brett Motherwell, who's now in the American Hockey League. And highly regarded returnees, such as North Dakota's Taylor Chorney and Boston University's Matt Gilroy, both of whom were INCH preseason first-team All-Americans, have had good years, but not Hobey-caliber efforts.
 
HIDDEN HOBEY

Carter Hutton
UMass Lowell
Sophomore
Goaltender

Normally, one would expect a goalie who leads the country in both goals against average and save percentage to be a sure-fire Hobey finalist. Hutton, who tops the nation with a 1.14 GAA and a .956 save percentage, is an exception for a couple reasons. One, he's part of a platoon system with classmate Nevin Hamilton. Two is that Hutton, who missed six games with an injury, is barely eligible for the national rankings. Goalies must play a minimum of one-third of their team's minutes in order to qualify for the individual rankings. Hutton's playing time entering the week is 369:38, just 27 minutes and change better than the one-third requirement.