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 as well as the seven players we think
will comprise the 10-player list of finalists.
| THE
BIG BOARD |
| 
1.
Ryan Duncan
North Dakota
Soph. | Forward |
Last
Week: One goal in both of North Dakota's
wins against Minnesota State in the first round
of the WCHA tournament.
The Buzz: Duncan just keeps chuggin'
along. He's scored just three points (two goals
and an assist) in North Dakota's last four games,
but he's got at least one point in 12 of the Fighting
Sioux's last 13 contests. Getting his team to the
WCHA championship game — among the biggest
non-NCAA Tournament stages in college hockey —
and playing well will only enhance his candidacy. |
|
2.
T.J. Hensick
Michigan
Senior | Forward |
Last
Week: Three goals, three assists, +6
plus-minus rating in the Wolverines' sweep of
Northern Michigan in a CCHA playoff quarterfinal
series.
The Buzz: Hensick had a huge
weekend against Northern Michigan, and he extended
his current scoring streak to five games —
he's got six goals and five assists during that
span. Michigan State, the Wolverines' opponent
in Friday's CCHA playoff semifinal, has been fairly
effective in keeping Hensick bottled up. Excluding
a four-point effort vs. the Spartans in Ann Arbor
Nov. 4, he's scored a goal and two assists in
four games against MSU.
|
|
3. David Brown
Notre Dame
Senior | Goalie |
Last
Week: Stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced
in Notre Dame's two wins over Alaska in a CCHA playoff
quarterfinal series.
The Buzz: The biggest challenge
to Brown's Hobey candidacy might be the guys who
play in front of him. The Fighting Irish have done
a marvelous job of limiting the number of shots
their goalie faces night in and night out. In nine
starts dating back to Feb. 2, Brown has faced more
than 22 shots once — a shutout win at Alaska
Feb. 16 — and he's made fewer than 20 saves
on six occasions during that span. |
| |
| THE
NEXT SEVEN |
|
Drew
Bagnall
St. Lawrence
Senior | Defense |
The
Buzz: Bagnall probably falls into the category
of being more of an MVP than a true Hobey Baker
candidate that puts up huge points and gets great
publicity. But he deserves to be on this list. He's
been the best player on the best team in the ECAC
Hockey League. |
John
Curry
Boston University
Senior | Goalie |
The
Buzz: Curry's play has fallen off since
a stellar run through late January and early February
in which he posted four shutouts in four weeks.
He's been a big part of Boston University's success
all year and will be among the ten finalists. |
|
Nathan
Davis
Miami
Junior | Forward
|
The
Buzz: The top-10 finalists were determined
long before Miami's early exit from the CCHA playoffs,
and Davis was an excellent two-way forward all season.
He stands sixth in the country in scoring with 49
points. |
| 
Eric
Ehn
Air Force
Junior | Forward
|
The
Buzz: Ranking as the nation's leading scorer
for the majority of the year gets you into the top
10 when the Hobey Finalists are announced. His numbers
are impressive. With 62 points he's tied with Michigan's
Hensick for the national scoring lead. |
|
Bobby
Goepfert
St. Cloud State
Senior | Goalie
|
The
Buzz: Goepfert's numbers don't quite match
up to those of David Brown and John Curry, but like
that tandem, Goepfert's been fantastic on a team
that's had sustained success throughout the year.
His save percentage of .932 ranks only behind New
Hampshire's Kevin Regan, Jeff Jakaitis of Lake Superior
State, and Curry. |
| 
Scott
Parse
Nebraska-Omaha
Senior | Forward
|
The
Buzz: The senior forward benefits from
his strong junior campaign that put him in the national
spotlight and made him a known commodity for a stellar
senior season. He had 52 points this year and finished
his career with 197 points, leaving Omaha as the
program's all-time leading scorer. |
| 
Trevor
Smith
New Hampshire
Soph. | Forward
|
The
Buzz: Smith was stellar out of the gate
and is the leading scorer on one of the top teams
in the nation. The detractors will point to the
fact that his production slipped in the second half.
After scoring 30 points in his first 20 games, he
had just 12 points over his last 16 games. |
