My Top 3
1. Kevin Porter
2. J-P Lamoureux
3. Richard Bachmann.
Porter is still pretty clearly the number one choice. Lamoureux has played exceptionally well at the right time. Since January 11th, he has only given up more than one goal in a game twice. Bachmann probably hasn't gotten the credit he deserves here. CC had a huge question mark in goal coming into this season, and if Bachmann hadn't stepped up the way he did, I'm not sure they would have even been a tournament team.
INCH Hobey Tracker
Is here.
INCH finally joined everyone else around the country in conceding that the race is Porter's to lose. In their podcast this week, there was some Hobey discussion about how there were so many goalies that were possible candidates and so few players. I guess my question is, at what point do we change the standards for what is considered exceptional for a goalie and for a player?
For example, Mark Dekanich is mentioned as a Hobey candidate for having great stats. He's got a .924 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average, which normally I'd consider great stats, but he's only tied for 12th in the country in save percentage and 10th in GAA. That's like barely in the top 20% of all starting goalies.
Then again, maybe with the downturn in scoring over the past decade or so, you could make the argument that college hockey really is becoming a goalie's game, and a good goalie really is that much more valuable than a good skater. This isn't a perfect analogy, but you could make the comparison to quarterbacks and running backs always winning the Heisman Trophy because they have the most individual control over a game and get the most attention.
1. Kevin Porter
2. J-P Lamoureux
3. Richard Bachmann.
Porter is still pretty clearly the number one choice. Lamoureux has played exceptionally well at the right time. Since January 11th, he has only given up more than one goal in a game twice. Bachmann probably hasn't gotten the credit he deserves here. CC had a huge question mark in goal coming into this season, and if Bachmann hadn't stepped up the way he did, I'm not sure they would have even been a tournament team.
INCH Hobey Tracker
Is here.
INCH finally joined everyone else around the country in conceding that the race is Porter's to lose. In their podcast this week, there was some Hobey discussion about how there were so many goalies that were possible candidates and so few players. I guess my question is, at what point do we change the standards for what is considered exceptional for a goalie and for a player?
For example, Mark Dekanich is mentioned as a Hobey candidate for having great stats. He's got a .924 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average, which normally I'd consider great stats, but he's only tied for 12th in the country in save percentage and 10th in GAA. That's like barely in the top 20% of all starting goalies.
Then again, maybe with the downturn in scoring over the past decade or so, you could make the argument that college hockey really is becoming a goalie's game, and a good goalie really is that much more valuable than a good skater. This isn't a perfect analogy, but you could make the comparison to quarterbacks and running backs always winning the Heisman Trophy because they have the most individual control over a game and get the most attention.