The starting goaltender on the nation’s No. 1 team is always going to be in the spotlight, and Gopher sophomore Adam Wilcox has delivered this year.
Riding a series sweep of Penn State and an eight-game unbeaten streak, Wilcox was named the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week today, with Wisconsin’s Michael Mersch and Ohio State’s Ryan Dzingel claiming stars one and two respectively.
On a bit bigger scale, Wilcox was also named as one of 70 Hobey Baker Award finalists today, an annual trophy given to the nation’s top player.
Wilcox currently leads the Big Ten in wins, claiming 13 of Minnesota’s 15 victories, and sits at third in the conference in both save percentage (.925) and goals against average (2.13).
The Gopher goalie is the only nominee among U of M skaters, while eight others that attend Minnesota institutions were also nominated.
In the 32-year history of the award, only two goaltenders have walked away with the honor, Minnesota’s Robb Stauber in 1988, and Michigan State’s Ryan Miller in 2001, now a net-tender for the U.S. Olympic team.
