MCDONALD AND LAING ECAC REPRESENTATIVES AMONG HOBEY BAKER MEMORIAL AWARD FINALISTS

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Following a vote by the nation's 60 Division I coaches and U.S. College Hockey Online's first official fan poll, the 10 finalists for the 2000 Hobey Baker Memorial Award were named Thursday.

The nominees include two ECAC standouts: Colgate forward Andy McDonald, the ECAC player of the year, and Rensselaer goaltender Joel Laing, the conference's goaltender of the year.

Other nominees include Michigan's Mike Comrie; New Hampshire's Ty Conklin; Boston College's Jeff Farkas; Boston College's Brian Gionta; Michigan State's Shawn Horcoff; Boston College's Mike Mottau; North Dakota's Jeff Panzer; and Wisconsin's Steve Reinprecht. The winner of the award, given annually to the top player in college hockey, will be announced at 4 p.m. Friday, April 7 at the NCAA Frozen Four in Providence, Rhode Island.

A selection committee comprising 20 members, along with a fan vote will determine the winner from among the finalists.

McDonald, a senior from Strathroy, Ontario, led the ECAC in scoring with 52 points and was second in the nation in points per game with 1.68. The Red Raiders captain, who was named the ECAC Player of the Year on Thursday, also led the league in goals and assists. He recorded 16 multiple-point games this season and 41 in his career.

Laing, a senior from Melfort, Saskatchewan, set school records with six shutouts in a single season and a career mark of 13. He posted the best save percentage in the nation at .947, and his 1.85 goals-against average was third-best in the nation, helping him earn the Ken Dryden Award--given annually to the ECAC goaltender of the year. Laing has a 4.0 GPA in the Lally School of Management.

The Decathlon Hotel and Athletic Club of Bloomington, Minn., will host a banquet to honor the Hobey Baker winner Friday, April 14. On the program that night, the Legend of Hockey Award will honor former Wisconsin coach Bob Johnson. Current Badgers coach Jeff Sauer will present the award to Bob's wife, Martha Johnson, and their son Mark, an assistant coach at Wisconsin.