Ohio State’s R.J. Umberger a Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 20, 2003
DETROIT – Ohio State men’s hockey junior center R.J. Umberger is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the award committee announced Thursday. The award is given annually to the top men’s college hockey player in the United States. Umberger is joined by Ben Eaves (Boston College), Christopher Higgins (Yale), Chris Kunitz (Ferris State), Dave LeNeveu (Cornell), John-Michael Liles (Michigan State), Zach Parise (North Dakota), Tom Preissing (Colorado College), Peter Sejna (Colorado College) and Joe Tallari (Niagara). The candidates were chosen by a ballot of the 60 Division I coaches and by a fan vote.
Umberger, a unanimous selection to the All-CCHA First team this season, leads the Buckeyes with 52 points, including a team-best 25 goals and 27 assists. He is the first Buckeye to break the 50-point barrier since Hugo Boisvert had 51 in 1999. Umberger was a three-time CCHA Offensive Player of the Week honoree and earned national player of the month accolades for December. He finished the conference season second in scoring with 38 points and was third in assists with 23. He is second in the nation with eight gamewinning goals.
The 2001 CCHA Rookie of the Year, Umberger was a first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2001. He has led the Buckeyes in scoring each of the last two seasons and ranks 31st in OSU history with 128 career points.
Umberger is the third Buckeye to be named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, joining Paul Pooley in 1984 and Boisvert in 1999.
The CCHA and Western Collegiate Hockey Association tied with three finalists each, followed by the ECAC with two. Hockey East and College Hockey America each have one candidate.
The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced April 2, with the announcement of the winner April 11 from the NCAA Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. A selection committee of 25 members and a fan vote will determine the winner. Fans can log on to voteforhobey.com and cast their ballots to rank their top three candidates beginning Friday.
Umberger’s Career Stats GP G A Pts Shots Shot% Pen-Min +/- PPG SHG GWG 2000-01… 32 14 23 37 122 .115 5-18 +1 3 0 1 2001-02… 37 18 21 39 169 .107 10-31 +1 5 1 1 2002-03… 40 25 27 52 200 .125 8-16 +4 8 1 8 TOTAL….. 109 57 71 128 491 .116 23-65 +6 16 2 10
