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October 17, 2006
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. In yet another
new coverage item presented by Inside College Hockey
for the 2006-07 season, we proudly debut Hobey Tracker
with a look at the top three candidates, those whose
stock is rising and other players worthy of consideration.
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THE
BIG BOARD |
1. Brian Elliott
Wisconsin
Senior | Goalie |
Last
Week: Stopped 52 of 55 North Dakota shots
over the course of two nights but only earned
one win. His 27-save shutout effort in Saturday's
win salvaged a split for the Badgers.
The Buzz: He's clearly the best
goaltender in the nation at this point. Defenders
of Cory Schneider and John Curry must admit that
for the present, as Schneider and Curry allowed
four goals each against mediocre opposition.
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2. Brian Boyle
Boston College
Senior | Forward
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Last
Week: One goal against the U.S. Under-18s
as Boston College won 5-4.
The Buzz: We suspect that it was
hard for the nation's No. 1 team to get entirely
motivated against several players that eventually
want to take their playing time at BC. |
 3.
Jonathan Toews
North Dakota
Soph. | Forward |
Last
Week: No points as the Sioux split a series
at Wisconsin.
The Buzz: Elliott will keep a lot
of high-level scorers at bay this year. Toews had
a chance to make a Hobey statement early in the
year on a weekend that lacked a lot of marquee games
around the nation. Elliott seized the opportunity,
Toews did not. |
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| BULL
MARKET |
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Bret Tyler
Maine
Junior
Defenseman |
You
could've gotten a good price on Tyler ranking as
the Black Bears' leading scorer after three games.
He entered the season with 30 total points in two
years and then racked up six assists in two games
against Bemidji State. Hobey voters always consider
high-scoring defensemen, and with some consistency
Tyler might fit that mold this season. |
| BEAR
MARKET |
Ryan Dingle
Denver
Junior
Forward |
There's
nothing wrong with Dingle's game, it would seem,
as he has a point per game (2-2—4 in 4 GP)
after his breakout 27-goal season a year ago. But
the Pioneers lost a talented setup winger in J.D.
Corbin, who is injured and out for the regular season.
Corbin had three assists this season and 15 a year
ago. His loss doesn't figure to help Dingle. |
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HIDDEN
HOBEY |
Eric Ehn
Air Force
Junior
Forward
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We shouldn't
be surprised to see that Ehn has seven points through
four games this season, as he averaged more than
a point per game as a sophomore last year. Now a
junior, Ehn leads the Falcons' transition to play
in Atlantic Hockey and may have the best of both
worlds, if you believe in this sort of thing: He's
on a western-based team, playing in a league comprised
of eastern-based opponents. |
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