The Hobey Baker Foundation announced on Thursday the top ten finalists for the 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey’s top player.
Alphabetically, they are Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence; David Brown, Notre Dame; John Curry, Boston University; Nathan Davis, Miami University; Ryan Duncan, North Dakota; Eric Ehn, Air Force; Bobby Goepfert, St. Cloud State; T.J. Hensick, Michigan; David Jones, Dartmouth; and Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha.
The ten finalists were selected by voting from all 59 Division I college hockey head coaches and by online fan balloting at hobeybaker.com.
Next, the 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting will determine this year’s winner. Criteria for the award include strength of character on and off the ice, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced on March 28, 2007, and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner will be announced Friday, April 6, 2007, from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, during the NCAA Frozen Four.
Brief profiles of each of the 10 finalists are as follows:
Sr. D Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence (Oakbank, Manitoba)
Bagnall was the ECACHL Player of the Year and the Outstanding Defensive Defenseman winner, only the second player in league history to capture both awards. A unanimous choice for First-Team All-ECACHL and an All-Academic pick for three straight years, he had a career-high 23 points and is the only defenseman among the finalists.
Sr. G David Brown, Notre Dame (Stoney Creek, Ontario)
Outstanding goaltending from Brown helped carry Notre Dame to its first-ever CCHA regular-season title. He shaved almost a goal a game off his average of a year ago with a stingy 1.64 goals against average, the best in the nation. His save percentage of .928 is sixth-best and he has tallied five shutouts, third in the country. The First-Team All-CCHA pick has a record of 27-5-3.
Sr. G John Curry, Boston University (Shorewood, Minnesota)
Curry, the Hockey East player of the year and a First-Team All-Hockey East pick, is third in the nation in save percentage at .934, second in goals against average with 1.84 and first with seven shutouts. He owns a record of 17-8-8, and led Hockey East in GAA. The MVP of this season’s Beanpot has won 59 games the last three seasons.
Jr. F Nathan Davis, Miami (Rocky River, Ohio)
A two-way player, Davis notched 49 points in 40 games, finishing fourth in the CCHA in league scoring, and was a finalist for the league’s Best Defensive Forward award as well. The Second-Team All-CCHA selection had 20 goals and 29 assists, with eight power-play goals.
So. F Ryan Duncan, North Dakota (Calgary, Alberta)
A key part of UND’s second-half surge, Duncan is fifth in the nation in points with 51, including 29 goals, good for third in the country. The WCHA Player of the Year and First-Team All-WCHA honoree was an All-Academic pick while leading the league in points, goals, power-play goals and game winners, topping the nation with six in the latter category.
Jr. F Eric Ehn, Air Force (Dexter, Michigan)
Ehn, who is tied for the national lead in scoring with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points, is second nationally in assists and set the Atlantic Hockey Association record for single-season scoring, leading the league in points, goals and assists, and was an All-Academic pick as well.
Sr. G Bobby Goepfert, St. Cloud State (Kings Park, New York)
Stellar goaltending from Goepfert helped St. Cloud to one of its best regular seasons ever. A First-Team WCHA member for the second straight year, Goepfert posted the league’s best save percentage (.932) and second-best goals against average (2.08). He holds a record of 17-7-7 and was a second-team All-American last year.
Sr. F T.J. Hensick, Michigan (Howell, Michigan)
Tied for the national scoring lead, Hensick led the CCHA in scoring for the second time in his career, posting 20 goals and a nation-leading 42 assists for 62 points in 38 games. A Player of the Year finalist in the CCHA, Hensick was named First-Team All-CCHA, becoming the first forward in league history to be all-league all four seasons. He’s had four straight 40-point campaigns.
Jr. F David Jones, Dartmouth (North Vancouver, British Columbia)
Jones, Dartmouth’s leading scorer and the Ivy League Player of the Year, has tallied 42 points in 31 games and was a unanimous selection as First-Team All-ECACHL. A power forward, he has 11 multiple-point contests and has twice been an All-Academic selection.
Sr. F Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha (Portage, Michigan)
The only repeat Hobey Baker finalist from a year ago, when he led the CCHA in scoring, Parse piled up 52 points — fourth in the nation — to rank as UNO’s all-time scoring leader. Having never missed a game in four seasons, Parse has been a First-Team All-CCHA pick three straight years as well as team MVP three straight years. He tallied 24 goals and 28 assists with eight power-play goals.
