Hobey Baker Watch List: Week Nine
College Hockey has now passed its eighth week of the regular season and the Hobey Baker Race is getting tighter every game it seems. All of the best are elevating their game in an effort to take home college hockey’s most sacred individual award.
1. Thatcher Demko (G, Boston College)
Demko has regained control of the race this week by continuing to put up dominant numbers in net for his Eagles. In their home and home weekend series with Beantown rivals Northeastern, Demko allowed three goals in both games which resulted in a 3-3 tie at Boston College, and a 4-3 victory for the Eagles at Northeastern. Boston College has not lost since Oct. 11 at RPI. Thursday night, the Eagles host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a Hockey East matchup. If Thatcher is to remain the frontrunner for this award, he must regain his dominant form from earlier in the year.
2. Jimmy Vesey (LW, Harvard)
Jimmy Vesey had another good week for his Harvard Crimson. While his team ended up with two ties this weekend against Union and RPI, Vesey scored the first goal against Union and would later tally an assist on the last goal which pushed the game into overtime. Vesey has been one of the true bright spots this year for the Crimson who have been disappointing as a whole. Vesey is currently third in the NCAA in points per game and is the only member of the Crimson in the top 80 for scoring. Harvard hockey has now gone into their Christmas break and will not play again until New Year’s Day in the Mariucci Classic at the University of Minnesota.
3. Andrew Poturalski (F, UNH)
Andrew Poturalski has exploded onto the scene this year averaging two points per game, while leading the NCAA in points and goals scored. His line with Tyler Kelleher has been absolutely dominant and has not been stopped at all this year. New Hampshire continued their rivalry with the University of Maine this past weekend which resulted and a tie at Maine and a victory in New Hampshire for the home team. Poturalski had a goal and an assist in the 3-3 tie and followed that up with a two goal, one assist performance in front of the home crowd. Andrew Poturalski and the UNH Wildcats have one more game before the winter break when they host Dartmouth on Friday night.
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler Kelleher (F, New Hampshire)
Drake Caggiula (F, North Dakota)
Michael Garteig (G, Quinnipiac)
Zach Green is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zag5035@psu.edu.
