NCAA Hockey Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick Finalists Announced

The Hobey Hat Trick was announced on Thursday, and at least one of the three was no surprise.

College Hockey Inc. was one of the first to announce the trifecta on Thursday:

"

Congrats to the Hobey Hat Trick. Jimmy Vesey, Zane McIntyre, Jack Eichel

— College Hockey Inc (@collegehockey) April 2, 2015"

Boston University freshman forward Jack Eichel, the leading scorer in the nation, was one of the final trio for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey. Projected as a top-two selection in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft, and also the front-runner for the Hobey Baker honor, Eichel has tallied 24 goals and 43 assists for 67 points in 38 games. He has also led the Terriers to a 27-7-5 overall record, a Beanpot Tournament title, the Hockey East Association regular-season and playoff championships, and the NCAA Northeast Regional crown. The Terriers defeated Yale and Minnesota-Duluth last weekend in Manchester, N.H. to earn their first NCAA Frozen Four berth in five years, although Eichel had a 13-game scoring string snapped in the second game. The Hockey East Player/Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Tournament, Eichel also captained the U.S. entry at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Canada.

The second finalist is junior goaltender Zane McIntyre of North Dakota, who backstopped UND to the NCAA West Regional title in Fargo, N.D. after cementing a National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season championship. UND defeated both Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State to advance to the national semifinals. A Boston Bruins draft choice, he has fashioned a 29-9-3 record in 41 outings  this winter, earning every one of UND’s decisions, while also compiling a 1.99 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage, and one shutout. The NCHC Goaltender of the Year and the West Regional MVP, McIntyre is vying to become the first netminder to win the Hobey Baker Award since Michigan State and NHL star Ryan Miller did so in 2001. McIntyre has also gone 9-3 in his last 12 decisions, and is 58-23-9 so far for his college career.

The third finalist is Harvard junior forward Jimmy Vesey, who led the nation with 32 goals this season in guiding the Crimson to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament championship. Vesey, who is property of the Nashville Predators, won the Walter Brown Award as the top college player in New England this season, and also had 26 assists and 58 points to rank among the top three scorers in NCAA Division I this year.  The 2015 ECAC Tournament MVP and the ECAC Player of the Year, Vesey had points in 11 of his last 12 contests, and has 100 points in 95 career games with the Crimson. Harvard fell to (Nebraska) Omaha in the first round of the NCAA West Regional in South Bend, Indiana last Saturday to close out its campaign with a 21-13-3 mark.

---

The Hobey Hat Trick trio was culled from a field of 10 players announced last month that also included Union senior forward Daniel Ciampini, RIT senior forward Matt Garbowsky, Michigan senior forward Zach Hyman, Michigan Tech senior forward Tanner Kero, Denver senior defenseman Joey LaLeggia, Minnesota junior defenseman Mike Reilly, and Robert Morris senior forward Cody Wydo.

Last year's winner was Boston College junior forward Johnny Gaudreau, who led the nation in scoring with 80 points and is now an NHL rookie-of-the-year candidate with the Calgary Flames. The award is named for the early 20th century Princeton University hockey star who later died of injuries sustained in a World War I plane crash.

The 2015 Hobey Baker Award, the 35th iteration of the trophy, will be presented on April 10 at Matthews Arena in Boston, the day between the Frozen Four semifinals and the NCAA national title game at TD Garden. BU and UND will face off in the nightcap on Thursday following Omaha’s game against Providence, with the winners advancing to Saturday's title tilt.

(Stats from USCHO.com)