Hobey hat trick released

The three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award were unveiled on Wednesday. Will this be the year Wisconsin gets its first Hobey?

The group includes Badgers senior forward Blake Geoffrion, as well as New Hampshire senior forward Bobby Butler and Maine sophomore forward Gustav Nyquist.

I don't have a vote (although I did serve a three-year term as a voter earlier in my career) but really think Geoffrion, Wisconsin's captain, would be a great choice for this award. For the Hobey hat trick, he edged out his teammate Brendan Smith as well as WCHA player of the year Marc Cheverie, the goaltender from Wisconsin. No doubt Cheverie and teammate Rhett Rakhshani saw their Hobey stock drop after a rough Final Five and NCAA regional.

All three Hobey candidates are fine candidates, but Geoffrion, whose grandfather is Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion and great grandfather is Howie Morenz -- both Hockey Hall of Famers with the Montreal Canadiens -- has led the Badgers to the Frozen Four and was simply a force all over the ice in the WCHA all season.

The WCHA hasn't had a Hobey winner since 2007 when Ryan Duncan won the league's sixth Hobey in a row. The award will be announced on April 9, the Friday of the Frozen Four weekend.