Boston College sophomore Ryan Leonard was selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which is handed out to the top men’s college hockey player in the country, on Wednesday.
The forward from Amherst leads the country with 29 goals, including nine game winners. He is fourth in points per game with 1.34 and has a nation-leading 16-game point streak, with 16 goals and 11 assists in that span.
Leonard was also named the Hockey East player of the year, becoming the first Eagle to win the honor since Johnny Gaudreau won twice in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. BC will be the
Joining Leonard is Holy Cross senior Liam McLinskey, who was named a finalist for the second consecutive year. The forward was awarded the Atlantic Hockey player of the year after leading the league in scoring with 51 points (23 goals, 28 assists).
That Leonard was the only finalist from Hockey East in a year where the league already has six teams in the 16-team field for NCAA tournament was curious. Last year saw four players reach the top 10: Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson from Boston University, and Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith from Boston College.
Notable snubs include UMass junior Cole O’Hara and BC forward Gabe Perrault.
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Boston College’s Jacob Fowler certainly merited consideration for the Hobey, but he and Maine’s Albin Boija made the list of the final four candidates for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey. They are joined by Michigan State sophomore Trey Augustine and Minnesota State junior Alex Tracy.
Fowler was named the Hockey East goalie of the year. The sophomore sits second nationally in goals against average (1.64) and shutouts (7), and third in save percentage (.940) and wins (24). He led Hockey East in all four categories.
Boija is fourth overall in the country with a 1.75 goals against average. His .930 save percentage is the ninth-best mark overall but that number ranks fourth among goaltenders who have played more than 30 games.
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.
