The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation on Thursday announced the top 10 finalists for the 2008 Hobey Baker Award, honoring college hockey’s top player.
Alphabetically, they are Nathan Gerbe, Boston College; Ryan Jones, Miami; Lee Jubinville, Princeton; Simon Lambert, RIT; Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, North Dakota; Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud State; Jeff Lerg, Michigan State; T.J. Oshie, North Dakota; Kevin Porter, Michigan; and Kevin Regan, New Hampshire.
The 10 finalists were selected by voting from all 59 Division I head coaches and by online fan balloting at hobeybaker.com. The 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting (at hobeybaker.com from March 20-30) will determine this year’s winner.
Criteria for the award include strength of character on and off the ice, outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements. This year’s finalists include five seniors, four juniors and one sophomore. Seven forwards and three goaltenders are among the group.
The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced on April 2 and the winner will be announced Friday, April 11 from Pepsi Center in Denver during the Frozen Four. The announcement will be aired live on ESPNU at 5:30 p.m. MT.
Following is a closer look at each finalist.
Nathan Gerbe — Boston College, Junior Forward (Oxford, Mich.)
This 5-foot-5 dynamo packs a powerful punch, entering the Hockey East championships as the nation’s second-leading scorer with 52 points. His 27 goals are tied for third in the country after bagging three in last weekend’s playoffs. Gerbe was named First-Team Hockey East and has helped the Eagles to the past two Frozen Fours.
Ryan Jones — Miami University, Senior Forward (Chatham, Ont.)
The RedHawks’ captain guided them to a school-record 29 wins and a second-place finish in the CCHA. He leads the nation in goals with 30 in 38 games, leads the nation with seven game winning goals and has 11 on the power play, cementing his place as second all-time in school goalscoring. Named First-Team CCHA, Jones has been All-Conference three straight seasons and has never missed a game in four years.
Lee Jubinville — Princeton, Junior Forward (Edmonton, Alb.)
Jubinville is the first top-10 finalist from the same school Hobey Baker himself represented so honorably before World War I. The awards heaped upon this slick playmaker include ECAC Player of the Year, First Team All-ECAC and First Team in the Ivy League. Jubinville finished second in ECAC scoring with 31 points in 22 league games. Princeton finished second in the ECAC regular season and was the league’s top-scoring team.
Simon Lambert — RIT, Senior Forward (St. Therese, Que.)
It’s the second straight year the five-year old Atlantic Hockey Association has produced a top-10 finalist. Not only is he the league’s leading scorer, but his 51 points in 37 games are tied for third in the nation, as is his assist total of 26 helpers. Lambert was named First-Team AHA, his second straight year of all-conference honors.
Jean-Philippe Lamoureux — North Dakota, Senior Goalie (Grand Forks, N.D.)
In the second half of the season, few have been hotter than Lamoureux. He has lost only one game in the past 20 while allowing opponents one goal or less in 15 of those outings, and early on, he established a WCHA mark by recording four shutouts in his first five games of the season. The league’s goalie champion was also named to the WCHA Second Team. He sports the nation’s best goals against average at a miniscule 1.63, along with the second-best save percentage at .934, while producing an overall record of 24-9-4.
Ryan Lasch — St. Cloud State, Sophomore Forward (Lake Forest, Calif.)
While enjoying the surf on California’s coast during the off-season for fun, Lasch has found surfing around college defenses his passion. The WCHA scoring champion has tallied 51 points in 38 games, ranking tied for third overall in the nation. The timely sniper has five game-winning goals and 13 power-play tallies to his credit, helping the Huskies to the WCHA Final Five.
Jeff Lerg — Michigan State, Junior Goalie (Livonia, Mich.)
With an NCAA national title and All-Tourney accolades already under his belt, Lerg has been the nation’s busiest goaltender this season as the Spartans prepare for another title run. Leading the CCHA in wins, save percentage and shutouts, Lerg was named to the league’s First Team and is a finalist for Player of the Year honors. The finance major is a two-time Scholar Athlete.
T. J. Oshie — North Dakota, Junior Forward (Warroad, Minn.)
Scoring timely goals has been a forte of Oshie’s, with five game winners this season and a career total of 16 clinchers, placing him second all-time in Fighting Sioux history. Named to the WCHA First Team, Oshie finished fifth in WCHA scoring, producing a team-high 39 points in 37 games. He’s produced 13 multiple-point games this season, expanding his career total to 38.
Kevin Porter — Michigan, Senior Forward (Northville, Mich.)
Consistency defines the nation’s leading scorer as the Wolverine captain has produced points in all but six of the 38 games he’s played. Porter helped guide his team to the CCHA regular-season title and is a finalist for the league’s Player of the Year award and Best Defensive Forward award. He was also named to the CCHA First Team.
Kevin Regan — New Hampshire, Senior Goalie (South Boston, Mass.)
The assistant captain backstopped his Wildcats to the Hockey East league title while leading the league with a 1.80 goals-against average. His overall save percentage of .934 is tied for second in the country. Regan was named First Team Hockey East along and won the conference’s Player of the Year award. The Business/Finance major has earned All-Academic Hockey East accolades three times and has made the UNH Dean’s list every semester of his career.
