/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54041015/465267904.0.jpg)
Tonight the winner of the 2017 Hobey Baker Memorial Award will be announced. The Hobey is given to the NCAA men’s hockey player who best "exhibits strength of character both on and off the ice" and "contributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game."
Boston College Eagles have won the award 3 times: David Emma, Mike Mottau, and Johnny Gaudreau each won the Hobey during their time on the Heights. Unfortunately, no Eagles are still in the running for the Hobey. But since this is BC Hockeyrruption, we have an opinion on who you should be rooting for.
The Hobey Hat Trick finalists this season are Zach Aston-Reese (Northeastern), Will Butcher (Denver), and Mike Vecchione (Union). BC Interruption is unanimously rooting for Zach Aston-Reese.
Northeastern didn’t make the NCAA Tournament as was knocked out of the Hockey East Tournament in the quarterfinals, but he leads the NCAA with 31 goals this season. He’s tied for first in points with 63, and has a respectable 32 assists. He was the Hockey East Player of the Year, his impressive play overcoming the fact that his team went 9-10-3 in HEA play. Off the ice, Aston-Reese volunteered in local elementary schools by reading to students.
His stats speak for themselves, but the REAL reason Boston College fans should root for Aston-Reese is so that we can have a Hobey Beanpot sweep. The last 3 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners have all come from Beanpot schools. BC’s own Johnny Gaudreau won in 2013, Jack Eichel from BU earned the award in 2014, and Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey was honored in 2015. If a Northeastern player wins this year, each Beanpot school will have been responsible for a Hobey winner over the past 4 years. This is a) fun and b) a positive for college hockey in Boston.
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award ceremony will be held at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier in Chicago tonight (April 7) at 6 PM ET. The ceremony will stream on http://www.hobeybaker.com/ and will broadcast live on the NHL Network.