Demko Hailed a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Junior goaltender Thatcher Demko has been named one of three Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick finalists according to the committee's announcement on Thursday afternoon, March 31.

This marks the third time in the last four seasons an Eagle has been named as a Hobey Baker top three finalist. Johnny Gaudreau won the award in 2014 and finished as runner-up in 2013.

The other two Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalists are freshman forward Kyle Connor from the University of Michigan and senior forward Jimmy Vesey of Harvard University.

Not only will Demko be alongside Connor and Vesey, but he will also be accompanied by his entire 2015-16 Eagle teammates, who qualified for their NCAA-record 25th Frozen Four appearance after winning the Northeast regional on March 26.

Demko is assembling of the most memorable goaltending seasons in recent history.

Already surpassing the school records for shutouts in a season with 10, the San Diego native is two blankings away from tying Cory Schneider's (2004-07) benchmark of 15 for the career record.

His 10 shutouts is the second most in college hockey history for a season, tying David McKee (Cornell – 2005) and Ryan Miller (Michigan State – 2001). Demko is two shutouts away from matching Greg Gardner's (Niagara) record of 12 set in 2000 for the all-time mark in a college hockey season.

Heading into the Frozen Four, the 6-foot-4 backstopper possesses the nation's second-best save percentage (.936) and seventh-best goals against average mark (1.85). He has accrued a .763 winning percentage, third best in college hockey, and his 27 overall wins are also third best.

In Hockey East conference play, Demko's five shutouts are tied for second most in a single-season with UNH's Casey DeSmith (2012-13) and BU's John Curry (2006-07). His .938 save percentage in league play is tied for seventh best in a single season with Merrimack's Rasmus Tirronen (2014-15), NU's Clay Witt (2013-14) and none other than his current goaltending coach at BC, Mike Ayers.

At the onset of the season, Demko matched history after posting six shutouts in seven starts (Oct. 16 - Nov. 8, 2015), stringing together a pair of three-game shutout streaks. Demko's historic run tied Blaine Lacher of Lake Superior State for posting six shutouts in seven games, marking only the second time in the history of college hockey something of that magnitude has been achieved. His first shutout streak started in the third period at Rensselaer on Oct. 11, 2015, where he played shutout hockey for 206 minutes and two seconds (206:02), denoting the 20th-longest stretch of zero goals allowed in the history of the game. Demko's second run started in the third period of the Denver contest on Oct. 30 and spanned to the second period against Michigan State, surpassing his previous total and posting another 208 minutes and 36 seconds (208:36) of scoreless hockey. That mark is the 17th-best stretch in the history of the game. Demko's scoreless string of 208:36 is third longest in school history behind Scott Clemmensen (254:23 – Jan. 9-24, 1998) and Cory Schneider (242:19 – Jan. 13-27, 2006).

For a career, Demko is 62-25-10 (.691) with a 2.07 goals against average and a .928 save percentage (2,601 saves on 2,803 shots).

Demko looks to become Boston College's fourth Hobey Baker winner, joining David Emma (1991), Mike Mottau (2001) and Gaudreau (2014). He became the Eagles' 18th Hobey Baker finalist as a top-10 recipient on March 16, 2016.

The three finalists were selected from the initial list of Top Ten candidates by the 27-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year's Hobey Baker winner. Criteria for the award includes: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.

This year's Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced Friday, April 8, 2016 from the Tampa Theatre in Tampa, Fla. during the NCAA Frozen Four. Built in 1926 the theatre was known as one of America's finest movie palaces of its era. The 36th annual announcement will be televised live on the NHL Network at 6 p.m. ET, and at the Hobey website, www.hobeybakeraward.com. Here is more on the other two finalists:

Kyle Connor, University of Michigan, Freshman, Forward, Shelby Township, Michigan
A very fast and dynamic forward, Connor completed his rookie season as the nation's leader in points and goals and did so in fantastic fashion, ending the campaign with a 27-game point streak. Attempting to become the second straight freshman to win the Hobey, Connor has already been acknowledged as the Big Ten conference scoring champion, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team all-conference and All-Freshman team.

Jimmy Vesey – Harvard University – Senior, Forward, North Reading, Massachusetts
For the second straight year, Vesey (VEE-zee) is a Hobey Hat Trick finalist. Known as a great two-way player who made others around him better, he is the nation's leading goal scorer over the past two seasons bagging 56 goals including 24 this year. For two years in a row, Vesey is the Ivy League Player of the Year, the ECAC Player of the Year, First Team all-conference and a repeat winner of the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England.

The Hobey Baker Award announcement at the Tampa Theatre is a free event and open to the public. Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. with an autograph signing on the plaza between the Tampa Theatre and the TECO Building, featuring the two teams in the national championship game. At 5:15 p.m., the Hockey Humanitarian Award presentation will take place followed by the Hockey Coaches Association announcement of their All American teams and other national awards. The Hobey Baker Award announcement will begin at 6 p.m.

Demko Hailed a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist

Players Mentioned

Thatcher Demko

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