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Finalists Announced for the 2010 Hobey Baker Award

Logo credit: www.hobeybaker.com

 

DETROIT-- The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire). Eleven of these players have gone on to have respectable NHL careers later in life.

The Hobey Baker finalists were narrowed down to the top three on March 31:

New Hampshire senior forward Bobby Butler, Wisconsin senior forward Blake Geoffrion and Maine sophomore forward Gustav Nyquist are the finalists for the 2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award that honors college hockey's top player.

The 10 finalists for this year's Hobey Baker award were announced on March 18:

Bobby Butler (F - New Hampshire): Butler is a senior with New Hampshire and is currently sixth in the country and leading the Wildcats with 50 points. Butler's 27 goals though is good for first in the nation. New Hampshire is ranked 13th and last lost to Vermont in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Marc Cheverie (G - Denver): Cheverie has been a major part of the Pioneers success this season. Cheverie has the best save percentage in the country at .937 and also leads the nation in wins (24) and shutouts (6). Denver is ranked number one in both the USCHO.com and USA Today national polls. Cheverie has also been named the WCHA Player of the Year.

Blake Geofferion (F - Wisconsin): Geofferion has been a key part of the Badgers success this season, with 41 points in 34 games, and is sixth in the nation with 23 goals, most on the Badgers. Wisconsin is third in the nation in the current polls.

Gustav Nyquist (F - Maine): Nyquist is the nation's leading point scorer with 59 points in 37 games this season, including a nation-leading 41 assists. Maine is 19th in the nation and will face off against Boston University in the Hockey East semifinal on Friday night.

Mark Olver (F - Northern Michigan): Olver is Northern Michigan's leading scorer this season with 47 total points including 35 points in 27 CCHA games. Northern Michigan is 12th in the nation and takes on Ferris State in the CCHA semifinals.

Chase Polacek (F - Rensselaer): Polacek is third in the nation with 52 points and 26 goals. While Polacek was named ECAC Player of the Year, Rensselaer has struggled this season, is currently unranked, and will not make the NCAA tournament this year.

Rhett Rakhshani (F - Denver): While Cheverie was the leading goaltender for the nation and Denver, Rakhshani was the Pioneers' leading scorer with 49 points, good for seventh in the nation.

Cody Reichard (G - Miami): Some may say that Cheverie has been the best goaltender in college hockey this season, but Reichard can make a claim to that title as well. Reichard leads the nation in goals against average with a 1.64 and has led the Redhawks to a second place ranking in the nation.

Ben Scrivens (G - Cornell): Scrivens has been a major factor in Big Red's good play this season as Scrivens has the second best goals against average in the country at 1.89. Cornell is ranked 7th in the country and will face Brown in the ECAC Semifinals.

Brendan Smith (D - Wisconsin): Smith is the nation's leading scorer at defense with 44 points including 11 power play goals.

The winner will be announced during the Frozen Four on April 9.

Sources: www.sbnation.com; www.nhl.com

 

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