ST. PAUL, Minn.-- Sophomore forward Louie Caporusso(Woodbridge, Ontario) of the University of Michigan ice hockey team was named a finalist for the 2009 Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Thursday evening (March 19). The Hobey Baker Memorial Award recognizes the top hockey player in the NCAA for his athletic performance and character on and off the ice as well as his sportsmanship and scholastic achievement.
The 10 finalists for the award were selected by a vote from the 58 head coaches across the country. Next, the Hobey Baker Committee will whittle the 10 finalists down to the "Hobey Hat Trick", which names the top three finalists and will be released on Thursday, April 2. Thewinner will be announced on Friday, April 10, during the NCAA Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.
Caporusso is the 12th Wolverine in school history to be selected as a finalist for the accolade. Brendan Morrison (1997) and Kevin Porter (2008) are Michigan's two Hobey Baker Award winners. A Michigan player has been tabbed a Hobey Baker finalist in four of the past five seasons-- Kevin Porter (2008) and T.J. Hensick (2005, 2007).
Overall, Caporusso set single-season career highs for points (46), goals (23), assists (23), power-play goals (10) and multi-point games (13) in 2008-09. His 23 goals are tied for fifth in the country, while his 46 points are tied for eighth nationally. The sophomore center has equaled his career high with four gamewinners, tying a team high for the season. Caporusso leads the Wolverines in goals, faceoff-win percentage (.582) and power-play scoring (10-4-14) while ranking second in points and assists. Caporusso has recorded a pair of natural hat tricks -- at Western Michigan on Nov. 15 and vs. Michigan Tech on Dec. 29. Additionally, Caporusso tallied three assists in games vs. Michigan State on Dec. 5, Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 14 and Ohio State on Feb. 20. The forward posted 15-20-35 totals in 28 CCHA contests, which was the third-best total in league play. Last week, Caporusso was picked for the All-CCHA first team.
Caporusso helped the Wolverines to a second-place finish in the CCHA regular-season standings this season and a current No. 3 national ranking. U-M has advanced to the semifinals of the 2009 CCHA Tournament, which is set to conclude this weekend (March 20-21) at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Wolverines face Alaska in semifinal action on Friday at 8:05 on the Big Ten Network.
Other finalists include Matt Gilroy of Boston University, Chad Johnson of Alaska Fairbanks, Zane Kalemba of Princeton, Jacques Lamoureux of Air Force, Jamie McBain of Wisconsin, David McIntyre of Colgate, Viktor Stalberg of Vermont, Brad Thiessen of Northeastern and Colin Wilson of Boston University.
The Hobey Baker Selection Committee includes a coach from each conference, scouts, media and a representative from USA Hockey. The selection will also tabulate votes from fans made through the "Vote for Hobey" campaign, which will account forone percentof the total ballot. Fans can start voting for Caporusso on March 20 via the official Hobey Baker website at www.hobeybaker.com.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
