October 24, 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.
THE
BIG BOARD |
1. Brian Elliott
Wisconsin
Senior | Goalie |
Last
Week: Made 22 saves in a 2-2 tie with
Minnesota Duluth Friday, and stopped 36 shots
in the Badgers' 5-2 win Saturday.
The Buzz: He'd probably like
to have Friday's game back, but Saturday's win
was vintage Elliott. With Ross Carlson, Kyle Klubertanz,
and Jack Skille still on the shelf, Elliott (along
with senior forward Jake Dowell) is carrying this
team. |
2. Michel
Leveille
Maine
Senior | Forward
|
Last
Week: Three goals, two assists in a sweep
of North Dakota in Grand Forks. The
Buzz: Through five games, Leveille has
four goals and five assists for the top-ranked Black
Bears. Hobey likes consistent performers who are
at their best in big games. As of right now, Leveille
fits the bill. |
3. Brian Boyle
Boston College
Senior | Forward |
Last
Week: Scoreless in a loss to Notre Dame;
a goal in a win vs. Bowling Green The
Buzz: Boyle periously hangs on to the no.
3 spot on the Big Board. Sure, he's averaging a
point a game, but he was a minus-3 against Notre
Dame and Bowling Green last weekend. He can solidify
his standing with big numbers in Madison this weekend. |
Dropped
Out: Jonathan Toews, North Dakota — We
can't fault Toews for being held scoreless in two
games against Wisconsin and two-thirds of a game
against Maine. Until we know more about the severity
of the injury he sustained last Friday, we'll keep
him in a holding pattern just outside of the top
three. |
|
BULL
MARKET |
Nathan Davis
Miami
Junior
Forward |
Davis,
who helped the RedHawks to their first win in Ann
Arbor since dinosaurs roamed the Earth with a hat
trick in Friday's series finale against Michigan,
caught INCH's eye two years ago with his quickness
and prowess as a shorthanded scoring threat. A polished
finisher with a capable sidekick in fellow 20-goal
scorer Ryan Jones on one wing and promising freshman
Jarod Palmer on the other, Davis may easily surpass
the 40 points he collected last season. |
BEAR
MARKET |
Scott Parse
Nebraska-Omaha
Junior
Forward |
It's not
that Parse has been terrible -- he's got two goals
and two assists in the Mavericks' first four games.
It's just that he's struggling to re-create the
chemistry he had with Bill Thomas, who left UNO
to sign with Phoenix during the off-season. So far,
Parse has skated on a line with center Bryan Marshall
and three different right wingers, a quartet has
combined for one assist. |
|
HIDDEN
HOBEY |
Steve Zalewski
Clarkson
Junior
Forward
|
Seven Clarkson
players are averaging a point per outing six games
into the young season, but Zalewski is the only
one averaging a goal a game. He appears to have
found his happy place on the Golden Knights' top
line between wingers Shawn Weller and Matt Beca,
as evidenced by his six goals and eight points. |
|