The Gophers' Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota State Mankato's Dryden McKay and Providence's Jaxson Stauber of Plymouth are among the nine finalists for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in Division I men's hockey by the Hockey Commissioners Association.
LaFontaine, a senior, is 17-5, leading the nation in wins. Among goalies with 10 or more games played, he is tied for first with McKay with a .941 save percentage, is second with a 1.56 goals-against average and second with five shutouts. McKay, a junior, is 15-1 and leads the nation with a 1.14 GAA and eight shutouts. Stauber, whose father, Robb, won the Hobey Baker Award in 1988, is 9-5-4 with a 2.03 GAA, .922 save percentage and four shutouts.
Others up for the award are Boston College sophomore Spencer Knight, Michigan junior Strauss Mann, Lake Superior State senior Mareks Mitens, Quinnipiac senior Keith Petruzzeli, Michigan Tech sophomore Blake Pietila and North Dakota junior Adam Scheel.
The winner will be announced during Frozen Four weekend April 8-10 in Pittsburgh.
Soderberg, Bothun among women's goalie award finalists
Minnesota Duluth's Emma Soderberg and Penn State's Josie Bothun of Wyoming, Minn., are among the eight finalists for the Women's Hockey Goalie of the Year Award given to the best goalie for a Division I program by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association.
Soderberg, a junior, has a 10-4 record and ranks second nationally among goalies with 10 or more starts with a 1.10 GAA and .957 save percentage. Bothun, a freshman, is 15-1-2, ranks third with a 1.23 GAA and fourth with a .951 save percentage.
The other finalists are Providence senior Sandra Abstreiter, Wisconsin senior Kennedy Blair, Ohio State junior Andrea Braendli, Northeastern senior Aerin Frankel, Colgate freshman Kaylee Osborne and Maine senior Loryn Porter.
The winner will be announced during Frozen Four weekend, March 18-20 in Erie, Pa.