Hobey Baker

[New at pd]

The finalists were announced yesterday for the 2002 Hobey Baker Award. They are:

Ryan Carter, Iona, F, Sr., Ft. Nelson, B.C.
For the second time in his career, Carter led the Gaels and the MAAC conference in scoring bagging 18 goals and 25 assists in 33 games. In the process, he became the all-time career leader in points in the MAAC. The tri-captain saw plenty of ice including special teams duty.

Marc Cavosie, Rensselaer, F, Jr., Cohoes, N.Y.
Leading his team in all offensive categories with 22 goals and 26 assists, Cavosie also led the ECAC in points and assists while finishing second in goal scoring. The ECAC Player of the Year finished fifth in the nation in points per game and had a 17-game point streak earlier in the season.

Rob Collins, Ferris State, F, Sr., Kitchener, Ont.
Becoming the first Bulldog to lead the CCHA in scoring, Collins notched 15 goals and 33 assists, putting together 15 multiple-point games. He finished third in the nation in assists per game while earning First Team all-CCHA honors in spearheading the Ferris State offense.

Wade Dubielewicz, Denver, G, Jr., Invermere, B.C.
Helping guide the Pioneers to their first WCHA title in 15 years, Dubielewicz was named Goalie of the Year in the WCHA for the second straight season. His .943 save percentage led the nation and set a league record. The First Team WCHA goalie won Goalie of the Year honors for the second straight season. His win percentage of .857 also led the nation.

Jim Fahey, Northeastern, D, Sr., Milton, Mass.
Not only was he the only defenseman in the nation to lead his team in scoring, Fahey topped all blueliners in the nation in points. He is only the second Northeastern player to be a top 10 candidate while setting several school records. He was a First Team Hockey East all-star.

Mark Hartigan, St. Cloud, F, Jr., Fort St. John, B.C.
As St. Cloud's first-ever Hobey candidate, Hartigan had a stellar season leading the nation in goals, points and shorthanded goals. Hartigan posted 37 goals and 38 assists including tying a WCHA record with 4 goals in one period. He was named the WCHA Player of the Year.

Darren Haydar, New Hampshire, F, Sr., Milton, Ont.
For five straight years, a Wildcat player has been a Hobey finalist. Haydar finished third in the nation in points with 70 on 30 goals and 40 assists. His 11 power-play goals were tied for fourth nationally. The Hockey East Player of the Year had a 17-game point streak generating 42 points.

Jordan Leopold, Minnesota, D, Sr., Robbinsdale, Minn.
A Hobey finalist for the second straight year, Leopold collected 19 goals and 25 assists in 39 games, becoming the nation's highest goal scoring defender. The All-American is second in the nation in points by a defenseman and was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Ryan Miller, Michigan State, G, Jr., E. Lansing, Mich.
Last year's Hobey winner could become the first two-time recipient. Miller again posted excellent numbers going 25-7-5, earning eight shutouts, padding his career NCAA record of 26. The CCHA Goalie of the Year led the league in all major goalie categories while his 1.75 GAA and .937 save percentage ranked third nationally. He led the nation in wins and shutouts.

Doug Murray, Cornell, D, Jr., Bromma, Sweden
As ECAC champions, Cornell was the top defensive team in the nation; third in the nation in penalty killing and fifth in power play due to Murray's contributions. His 30 points led all ECAC defenseman in scoring. Murray was named Ivy League Player of the Year for his efforts.

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So, who wins it and why?

My pick: Ryan Miller, Michigan St.

State goes nowhere without him.
He's by far the best goalie in the country. While 3rd in GAA (1.75), the other two goalies with better GAA's played 14 and 21 games, while Miller played 37.

Runner up : Jordan Leopold, Minnesota

[urysohn]

I think the three finalists, and the order they finish in the final voting, will be:
Darren Haydar - UNH
Mark Hartigan - St Cloud St
Ryan Miller - Michigan St.

But I think it's really a two-way race between Haydar and Hartigan. They're having similarly exceptional years, except that Haydar was really hot at the beginning and is turning on the burners again late, while Hartigan had the stronger mid-year performance. I do think Hayday will be hurt because one of his teammates (Colin Hemingway) is also looking quite impressive and that might serve to make Haydar look a little less so.

(Note: this is the first year they're narrowing it down to three final-finalists before announcing the actual winner)

[New at pd]

You're right about Haydar. How good is he without Hemingway? I'd say he's above average, but not great. He had a 60 point freshman year with Jason Krog at center. He had two straight 41 point performances in his sophomore and junior years.

Hartigan had 2 other SCSU teammates in the top 15 nationally in scoring.

My top 3 (fine, so I'm changing it a little bit and not including Leopold)

Ryan Miller
Mike Hartigan
Jim Fahey

[Anonymous]

I'm just fascinated that a guy named Doug Murray is listed as Swedish.

[urysohn]

On 2002-03-15 09:15, New at c6 wrote:
You're right about Haydar. How good is he without Hemingway? I'd say he's above average, but not great. He had a 60 point freshman year with Jason Krog at center. He had two straight 41 point performances in his sophomore and junior years.


Haydar and Hemingway don't play on the same line. Haydar had a definite slump in his sophomore and junior years, but he has been on fire (most of) this year.

[New at pd]

On 2002-03-15 11:00, urysohn wrote:

On 2002-03-15 09:15, New at c6 wrote:
You're right about Haydar. How good is he without Hemingway? I'd say he's above average, but not great. He had a 60 point freshman year with Jason Krog at center. He had two straight 41 point performances in his sophomore and junior years.


Haydar and Hemingway don't play on the same line. Haydar had a definite slump in his sophomore and junior years, but he has been on fire (most of) this year.


26 of Haydar's 70 points include Hemingway in the scoring as well. No Hemingway ==> 44 points, hardly a Hobey-worthy performance.

[urysohn]

You can't just knock off every point that Hemingway was in on, as though Haydar wasn't responsible for any of it. Certainly, he might not have had all of them. And most of those combination goals would have been power play goals (since they play on separate lines, but both play on the power play unit) - do you discount all power play goals too, since there was a man-advantage?

[urysohn]

The ten finalists were narrowed down to three yesterday.
Mark Hartigan, F, St Cloud St
Darren Haydar, F, UNH
Jordan Leopold, D, Minnesota


Courtesy of USCHO.com :

The finalists:

Mark Hartigan, Jr. F, St. Cloud State, Ft. St. John, B.C.
Leading the nation in goal scoring, Hartigan helped guide the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Hartigan is currently tied for second in the nation in scoring with 75 points on 37 goals and 38 assists. His 6 short-handed goals lead the nation as well. The WCHA Player of the Year and First Team All-Star had 21 multiple-point games. On Wednesday, Hartigan, a free agent, signed a pro contract with the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL.

Darren Haydar, Sr., F, New Hampshire, Milton, Ont.
Haydar and his Wildcats will make a trip to the Frozen Four for the national title. Haydar enters as the leading scorer in the nation with 76 points on 31 goals and 45 assists. His assist total is second in the country. The team captain and Hockey East Player of the Year averages 1.95 points per game to lead the nation; he was MVP in three tournaments. Haydar is a draft pick of the Nashville Predators.

Jordan Leopold, Sr., D, Minnesota, Golden Valley, Minn.
A Hobey finalist for the second straight season, Leopold will be participating in the Frozen Four for the Gophers. He is currently tied as the top point-producing defenseman in the nation with 46 points on 20 goals and 26 assists in 42 games. The senior team captain was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, and First Team All-Star. Leopold is property of the Calgary Flames.

[Cosmo]

Yeah I think that this goes to Hartigan as well. Haydar is definitely another possibility.

Leopold would be a very outside shot.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cosmo on 2002-03-28 13:16 ]</font>

[urysohn]

It's always hard to compare the defensemen though. I was pretty surprised when Mike Mottau (sp) from BC won a couple years back, especially since his own teammates Jeff Farkas and Brian Gionta were both finalists (I think they were all finalists?) and both appeared to be "better" players than Mottau.

Plus you get a bunch of academics and community work factoring in that you don't see during the game, so that confuses things.

My money's still on Haydar, with Hartigan in second, Leopold in third.

[The Mad Hatter]

Leopold wins! Congrats to Haydar and Hartigan on fine seasons.

[Floyd Nootson]

Hatter, you're right, congrats to all HB finalists, and Special Congratulations to Leopold! I think that's fantastic!

Now I'm really pumped up about this hockey season. It's a shame it has to end tomorrow night (...with a victory by the team in gold, I hope).