The three finalists were selected from the initial list of Top Ten candidates by the 27-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year’s Hobey Baker winner. Criteria for the award includes: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.

This year’s Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced Friday, April 11, 2014 from the Loews Hotel Millennium Ballroom in Philadelphia, PA during the NCAA Frozen Four. The 34th annual announcement will be televised live locally on Comcast and at nhl.com at 6 p.m., ET, and at the Hobey website, https://hobeybaker.com. Here is more on this year’s three finalists:

Greg Carey – St. Lawrence University, Senior, Forward, Hamilton, Ontario A repeat Hobey Baker top ten finalist, Carey can now include a Hobey hat trick finalist to his resume. Last year, he led the nation in goals and this year he sits second in the nation in assists (39) and first in power play points (31). Carey has led the Saints in scoring for four straight years and repeats as scoring champion in the ECAC. He scored 18 goals and 39 assists for 57 points in 38 games and sits third in the nation in scoring. For the second straight year he is First Team all- conference in the ECAC and added co-Player of the Year honors while also being a finalist for Student-Athlete of the Year. He has been an All-Academic student all four years majoring in history with a 3.68 GPA. Last week, he signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes. Carey has been a member of the school’s advisory committee on athletics and participates with the Saints Kids Club and helped organize the annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Nic Dowd – St. Cloud State University, Senior, Forward, Huntsville, Alabama Renowned as a solid two-way player, Dowd was a big part of St. Cloud State clinching the first ever NCHC regular season title. Dowd, captain of the Huskies follows in the footsteps of ex-teammate Drew LeBlanc, last year’s Hobey Baker Award winner. Dowd was honored with three league awards: First Team all-conference, Defensive Forward of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He finished second on the team in points, scoring 22 goals and 18 assists for 40 points in 38 games and is tied for seventh in the nation in goals. Effective on the man-advantage, Dowd bagged 10 power play goals tying him for fifth in the nation and chipped in with five game winning goals, including the overtime winner in the Huskies West Regional semifinal. Dowd just signed with the team that drafted him the Los Angeles Kings (7th round). Dowd is a bio-medicine major carrying a 3.61 GPA. He has worked with the school’s Student Advisory Council and assists with new student move-ins, organized the Locks of Love campaign last year with his teammates and has helped out with the local Humane Society.

Johnny Gaudreau – Boston College, Junior, Forward, Carneys Point, New Jersey Gaudreau (pronounced GOO-dreau), is a Hobey hat trick finalist for the second straight year. He’s leading the nation in scoring, averaging almost two points per game with 77 points – the most of any Division I player in 11 years. The Hockey East scoring champion was named the conference Player of the Year and First Team all-conference and has recorded points in all but two games this year including tying a Hockey East record with a 31-game point streak (Paul Kariya-Maine). Gaudreau has 35 goals and 42 assists for 77 points in 39 games, ranking first in the nation in points, goals and assists. He also tops the nation in plus-minus with a +41. A communications major and Calgary draft pick (4th round), he was awarded the Walter Brown Award as the best American born player in New England. At the NCAA Northeast Regional, he scored 3 goals and 3 assists in the Eagles 6-2 win over Denver, and added 2 more assists on the first two goals of the 4-3 win over Lowell in the regional final. He spends some time visiting elementary schools and is a mentor for a special needs team.

For more information on the Hobey Baker Memorial Award or to access the Hobey logo, visit https://hobeybaker.com. The website has additional bio info, statistics and video of all top ten finalists. Check us out on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/TheHobey