March 28, 2007
Hobey Hat Trick: Brown, Ehn, Duncan
CHN Staff Report
Notre Dame goaltender David Brown, Air Force forward Eric Ehn, and North Dakota sophomore forward Ryan Duncan were named the three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for the 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey's top player.
The Hobey Hat Trick represents the three highest vote getters among the 10 finalists, which were named two weeks ago. The winner has already been determined in the voting, but will not be revealed until the Friday of the Frozen Four, April 6, in St. Louis. The announcement will be aired live on ESPN-U at 6 p.m. CT.
The voting was done by the 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year's Hobey Baker winner.
Brown is a senior goalie that helped the Fighting Irish to a pair of school firsts: the CCHA regular-season championship and the CCHA playoff title. Advancing to the NCAA Midwest Regional as the No. 1 seed, Notre Dame fell in the regional final to CCHA rival Michigan State, 2-1.
Named the CCHA Player of the Year, Brown, from Stoney Creek, Ontario, finished the season with a won-loss record of 30-6-3 in 39 games. He leads the nation in goals against average with a 1.58 mark, and his save percentage of .931 is second in the nation. A Management Consulting major and on the school's Dean's List, Brown also found time to assist in the Buddy Walk for kids with Downs Syndrome, volunteered every Tuesday for a Kindergarten Read-To-A-Kid program and assisted in team sponsored Christmas parties for kids. A Pittsburgh draft pick, Brown set seven career and single-season team records.
Duncan has helped lead the Fighting Sioux to a third-straight Frozen Four. In 42 games to date, the diminutive 5-foot-8 Duncan has 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points, putting him fourth in the nation in scoring and second in goals. His 17 power-play goals are second in the country. The WCHA Player of the Year led the conference in points, goals, power-play goals and game-winning goals.
The Sioux defeated Minnesota 3-2 in overtime in the NCAA West Regional final, helped by Duncan's first-period tally. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Duncan is a pro hockey free agent and is undecided in his major, but is a WCHA All-Academic student-athlete.
Ehn, a junior forward, helped the Falcons to its first Atlantic Hockey championship and NCAA tournament appearance, where it led 3-1 in the third period over No. 1 Minnesota before losing 4-3.
Ehn, from Dexter, Mich., led the nation in scoring for several weeks during the season and finished the year with 24 goals and 40 assists for 64 points in 40 games, sitting second in the nation in points and assists. Becoming the first military person to be selected a Hobey finalist, Ehn led the Atlantic Hockey Association in points, goals and assists and set the AHA record for points in a season.
Winning an excellent 63 percent of his faceoffs, the Air Force centerman is a Systems Engineering Management major and is AHAAll Academic. He is the element leader for his squadron; assisted in the logistics of the Walk for a Cure for Juvenile Diabetes, has spoken and read books to numerous school groups, and helps dispense toys to hospitalized children during the team's annual holiday toy drive.
