Source: RIT Athletics
ROCHESTER, NY – Senior forward Abbott Girduckis(Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and junior defenseman Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) of the RIT men’s hockey team are two of 81 candidates for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s most prestigious individual honor. Tiger fans are encouraged to vote for Girduckis and Brubacher at http://www.hobeybaker.com.
Girduckis leads the Tigers in scoring with 24 points on eight goals and 16 assists in 20 games this season. RIT’s co-captain, Girduckis leads all of Division I with four shorthanded points and has four power-play goals. He is currently riding a five-game point-scoring streak, with 11 points (3-8-11) during that stretch. In four seasons at RIT, Girduckis has 81 points on 27 goals and 54 assists in 128 games.
Brubacher is tied for second on the team in scoring with 17 points on five goals and 12 assists in 20 games. In addition, he has blocked 38 shots, also second on the Tigers in 2018-19. Brubacher has three power-play goals and one game-winner. In three seasons at RIT, Brubacher has 64 points on 20 goals and 44 assists in 94 games.
Girduckis and Brubacher will look to join Simon Lambert (2008) and Matt Garbowsky (2015) as Hobey Baker top-10 finalists from RIT.
Awarded annually to college hockey’s top player, the Hobey Baker’s fan-voting will run from now until Sunday, March 10 at midnight. College hockey fans can cast their vote by going to the voting website http://www.hobeybaker.com.
Phase two of fan balloting will come from the list of Top Ten Hobey Baker finalists beginning March 20 and closing March 31. The fans’ vote accounts for a full one percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year’s award recipient.
Award criteria include candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker. A legendary American hero, Baker was a World War I fighter pilot and was known as America’s greatest amateur athlete in his day, excelling at hockey and football at Princeton University. Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
The 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 12, 2019 during the NCAA Frozen Four Championship in Buffalo, NY. The award ceremony will be held at HarborCenter and will be broadcast nationally on NHL Network and streamed live at hobeybaker.com. For more info on the Hobey Baker Award please visit www.hobeybaker.com.
