Gophers

Minnesota Scene: Gophers goalie Wilcox among 70 Hobey nominees

January 15, 2014 at 2:18AM

Gophers goalie Adam Wilcox made the list of nominees for the Hobey Baker Award on Tuesday and also was named the Big Ten's third star of the week.

Wilcox is the Gophers' lone candidate for the Hobey, the award given annually to the nation's top player. He has a 2.12 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.

The sophomore stopped 64 of 68 shots as the Gophers swept Penn State 3-2 and 5-2. He matched a career high with 36 saves Monday in the second game.

St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth each have three players among the 70 Hobey nominees, Minnesota State has two.

Among the other nominees are two Minnesotans playing for Nebraska Omaha: forwards Ryan Walters of Rosemount and Josh Archibald of Brainerd.

Online fan voting for the award opened Tuesday at hobeybakeraward.com.

St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc was the 2013 Hobey Baker Award winner. Minnesota Duluth's Jack Connolly won the 2012 award. The last Gopher to win it was Jordan Leopold in 2002.

• The Gophers remains No. 1 in the USCHO.com national poll. But St. Cloud State dropped one spot to No. 3 behind Ferris State after splitting on the road at Denver. Wisconsin is No. 9 after sweeping Michigan, which dropped to No. 13.

• The Gophers women's hockey team continues its unanimous No. 1 streak despite a 2-2 tie Saturday with Ohio State, which ended with a nine-round shootout loss to the Buckeyes.

JASON GONZALEZ

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• The Gophers' wrestling team is No. 3 in InterMat's weekly ratings behind Penn State and Iowa. Minnesota junior Scott Schiller remains unbeaten and No. 1 at 197 pounds.

• Concordia (St. Paul) senior Kara Pioske of Waconia earned the 2013 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Elite 89 Award. She received the honor for having the highest cumulative GPA (3.99) of any player on an Elite Eight team this season.

• Forward Cory Ward and goalie Jesse Wilkins of Bemidji State were the offensive player and rookie of the week, respectively, in the WCHA. Ward had four assists and Wilkins stopped 75 of 78 shots as the Beavers swept Lake Superior State on the road.

• The Gophers' Daryl Turner was named the Big Ten freshman of the week in men's swimming. He won the 100-yard backstroke and the 100 freestyle in Minnesota's dual meet victory over Hawaii.

• Forward Pernilla Winberg, goaltender Kim Martin (Hasson), and defenseman Jenni Asserholt, three former Minnesota Duluth players, were named to Sweden's women's hockey team for the Sochi Olympics.

• St. Cloud Technical and Community College (14-1) is No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division III men's basketball rankings.