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Photo by: Matt Krohn
Cooley, Knies Named Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalists
3/15/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Gophers' duo up for hockey's greatest honor
From day one with Minnesota, Cooley has showcased his offensive skills and is the leading scorer for the Maroon and Gold as his 50 points rank fourth nationally and are eighth in single-season program history for a freshman. The All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection has recorded at least one point in 28 of 34 games played, with multi-point efforts in 15 contests, and only once has he played back-to-back games without scoring a point. Cooley has registered five game-winning goals, ranking third in the country, and all five have come in his last 20 games played.
A product of Pittsburgh, Pa., he is currently riding a season-long, 12-game point streak, the longest active streak in the country, totaling 23 points in that stretch. Cooley became the only B1G player this season with a five-point performance when he had a goal and four assists in the second period at Penn State Feb. 17. He leads all NCAA players with a +34 rating and posted a positive plus-minus in 22 outings, while his 32 assists rank fifth in the nation.
Knies, the 2022-23 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team honoree, uses his size, strength, and speed to take over games, especially with the final result in flux. He sits sixth nationally totaling 21 goals, scoring in 19 of 35 games played, and recorded a pair of multi-goal outings this year. The Phoenix, Ariz., native continues to lead the NCAA with seven game-winning goals, while three of those have come in overtime. Knies is one of only five players in Gophers' history with three overtime goals and the only player to ever do it in one season.
The sophomore thrives on both sides of special teams, tallying six power-play goals and Minnesota's only two shorthanded goals this year. He has goals in back-to-back games seven times this season, including a pair of three-game goal scoring streaks. Knies' consistency has been a major factor in his success during the campaign, especially down the stretch, where he has not gone consecutive contests without a point since the middle of November.
Minnesota is one of just three NCAA teams to have at least four Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners in program history as Jordan Leopold (2002), Brian Bonin (1996), Robb Stauber (1988) and Neal Broten (1981) all earned the prestigious honor as a Gopher. Ben Meyers was a finalist for the award a season ago, while Steve Ulseth (1981) and Robb Stauber (1989) also were named finalists with the Maroon and Gold.
A 30-member selection committee made up of coaches, supervisors of officials, media, and NHL scouts, along with another round of fan balloting through the Hobey website (www.hobeybaker.com) from March 17-26, will determine this year's Hobey Baker winner. The Hobey Hat Trick (three finalists) will be announced March 30 and the Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced April 7 live on the NHL Network and streamed on the Hobey Baker website at 5:00 p.m. The Hobey Baker Top Ten video is available in a High Definition format at www.hobeybaker.com/media.
Criteria for the award are displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top 10 Finalists:
Logan Cooley, Fr., F, Minnesota
Adam Fantilli, Fr., F, Michigan
Sean Farrell, Jr., F, Harvard
Collin Graf, So., F, Quinnipiac
Lane Hutson, Fr., D, Boston U.
Matthew Knies, So., F, Minnesota
Devon Levi, Jr., G, Northeastern
Yaniv Perets, So., G, Quinnipiac
Blake Pietila, Sr., G, Michigan Tech
Jason Polin, Sr., F, Western Michigan
Highlights: Gophers 2, Wisconsin 5
Thursday, October 30
Highlights: Gophers 1, UMD 4
Saturday, October 25
Highlights: Gophers 0, UMD 3
Friday, October 24
Highlights: Gophers 5, North Dakota 1
Saturday, October 18