Hobey Baker Watch List: Week 10
The ninth week of the college hockey season has come and gone with some major shakeups at the top of the Hobey Baker Watch. This is the last edition of the watch until the teams return from the winter break around New Year’s Day.
1. Jimmy Vesey (LW, Harvard)
Jimmy Vesey has regained his top spot on the list after being idle this week. The Crimson captain is too old to play for Team USA in the World Junior Classic; otherwise, he would have been named to Team USA’s preliminary roster for the 2016 tournament. Vesey is scoring 1.6 points per game this year and is carrying his team to a 6-1-3 record. Harvard will need Vesey to step it up to an even higher level if they hope to make some noise in the second half of the season and make the NCAA tournament. That needs to begin on New Year’s Day when the Crimson take on Ferris State in the 25th annual Mariucci Classic.
2. Andrew Poturalski (F, UNH)
Saying that Andrew Poturalski is having a breakout year would be an understatement. The sophomore from Williamsville, New York scored a pair of goals against Dartmouth in New Hampshire’s final game before the winter break. Poturalski and linemate Tyler Kelleher are numbers one and two in points per game in the NCAA this year. If New Hampshire could find more offense from elsewhere on the team, they could be a real threat in the Hockey East conference. The Wildcats next play Maine on December 29th in the Battle for the Riverstone Cup.
3. Michael Garteig (G, QU)
After all of the hype surrounding Thatcher Demko, Michael Garteig slipped in nearly unnoticed. The Quinnipiac goaltender has gone 15-1-2 with a 1.24 goals against average. While his stellar numbers are partly due to Quinnipiac’s outstanding defense this year, they can’t take anything away from Garteig’s .948 save percentage. His Bobcats are currently ranked No. 3 after suffering their first loss of the year against the Boston University Terriers this past weekend. Quinnipiac next takes on the Princeton Tigers in ECAC play when they return from winter break on December 29th.
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler Kelleher (F, New Hampshire)
Drake Caggiula (F, North Dakota)
Thatcher Demko (G, Boston College)
Zach Green is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zag5035@psu.edu,
