The Campaign Begins

Greetings sports fans.... with all due apologies for its tardiness, the official "Gerbe for Hobey" campaign begins today. Welcome to the campaign headquarters!

Many of you are probably asking yourself some questions like: who is Nathan Gerbe? what is the Hobey Baker? is he running against Hillary Clinton? and what can *I* possibly do to help? These are all important questions and we will answer them, and some others, one at a time.

The What:

The Hobey Baker award is college hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy. It is awarded every year to the nation's best player. The official website states the following as criteria for the award:

1. Candidates must exhibit strength of character both on and off the ice.



2. Candidates must contribute to the integrity of the team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game.



3. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.



4. Candidates must comply with all NCAA rules: be full time students in an accredited NCAA college or university; and complete 50% or more of the season.

The When:
The trophy presentation will be held on April 11, 2008

The Where:

The trophy is awarded annually at the frozen four. The 2008 Frozen Four is in Denver, Colorado at the Pepsi Center - April 10th through April 12th

The Why(s):

Why do they award the Hobey Baker? I really can't say... Why should you help decide who wins the award? Simply because it is your God given (and forcefully defended) right to vote for anything that can be voted on... But most importantly, Why should you vote for Nathan Gerbe?

well...

did he just fall over? - April 6, 2006: Much to the chagrin of Barry Melrose, UND defenseman Matt Smaby trips in awe of, freshman sensation, Nathan Gerbe.

The How:

Every head hockey coach at an accredited Division I NCAA school receives one ballot. Coaches are asked to pick the top three players in their league and the top three players in the nation (two separate rankings, three players each; a player may be listed in both places, and a coach can vote for his own player).

Coaches from 58 schools receive a ballot. Those ballots, along with Vote for Hobey's Preliminary Voting results, are tabulated by an accounting firm to determine the 10 finalists.

This top ten advances to the Selection Committee, which decides the eventual winner from the top ten.

ok, ok... right now you are saying "this is all well and good, and Nate Gerbe clearly deserves the Hobey, but what can I do to help?" I'm glad you asked. Fan balloting occurs at the vote for hobey site (conveniently linked below), your vote actually plays a role in determining the final 10 - so stay tuned to your official campaign headquarters until the voting period begins.

www.hobeybaker.com/voting


The Who:

Who usually comes first, but we saved the best for last. So finally, the $64,000 question - Just who is Nathan Gerbe?

from www.BCeagles.com - born July 24, 1987 ... shoots left ... participated in the Buffalo Sabres Development Camp in 2007 ... has extensive international experience ... traveled overseas with the U.S. National Team that placed third at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championships in Leksand and Mora, Sweden; played in all seven games and finished tied for first on the team (with Erik Johnson) in assists with six ... was a member of the U.S. National Team that finished fourth at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia ... has twice participated in the U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp; traveled to Lake Placid, N.Y. in August of 2005 and August of 2006 ... graduated from Huron (Mich.) High School in 2005 ... played the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in Ann Arbor, Mich.

AS A SOPHOMORE (2006-07): Played in 41 games; missed the Eagles' game at Northeastern (1/5) while playing with Team USA at the 2007 World Junior Championships ... earned All-Hockey East second-team accolades and All-New England first-team recognition ... gained All-Tournament honors at the NCAA Tournament's Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo. ... shared the James E. Tiernan Memorial Award with Brock Bradford as the program's Most Improved Players ... earned Hockey East Player of the Month honors in February ... registered 47 points - 25 goals and 22 assists ... ranked among the nation's leaders in several offensive categories - goals per game (0.61; 11th), shorthanded goals (five; tied-second), game-winning goals (six; tied-third) and power-play goals (nine; tied-16th) ... recorded 28 points - 16 goals and 12 assists - in 26 league games; led all Hockey East players in goals per game (0.62) ... finished the season ranked fourth on the team with a plus-18 rating; earned a plus-10 rating in conference contests ... tallied at least one point in 30 games, including a season-long 11-game point-scoring streak (2/13-3/25) ... enjoyed 12 multiple-point efforts, including two three-point games and one four-point performance ... scored two goals in each of four games ... registered 14 points - four goals and 10 assists - in eight post-season games ... tallied a game-high four points - two third-period goals and two assists - in the team's 6-4 victory over North Dakota (4/5) in the NCAA Tournament's semifinal round in St. Louis, Mo. ... earned Hockey East Player of the Week honors after two stellar efforts against Maine; notched two goals and one assist in a 5-2 home win over the Black Bears (2/15), then tallied one goal and two assists in a 6-5 home victory the following night ... scored two goals in a 3-0 win at Wisconsin (10/27); netted a 6 x 4 shorthanded goal in the first period then doubled the team's lead late in the final frame ... assisted on all three BC goals in 3-0 home win over Northeastern (3/8) in the first game of the quarterfinal series of the Hockey East Tournament.

AS A FRESHMAN (2005-06): Played in 39 games, including 26 Hockey East contests; missed two games while playing with Team USA in the 2006 World Junior Championship ... earned Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 15 ... registered 18 points - 11 goals and seven assists; recorded 12 points - seven goals and five assists - in league action ... enjoyed three multiple-point games, including two multiple-goal efforts ... scored two game-winning goals, two power-play goals, one shorthanded goal and one empty-net goal ... tallied his first collegiate points - one goal and one assist - in a season-opening victory at Bowling Green (10/15); assisted on Chris Collins' power-play goal early in the first period, then scored his first collegiate goal at 12:47 of the third period ... scored both goals in the team's 2-1 win at Vermont (11/13); netted BC's first goal in the second period, then tallied the decisive score at 14:50 of the third period ... notched two goals, including one shorthanded goal in the first period, in a 7-0 home win over Massachusetts (12/9) ... scored a highlight-reel goal - the gamewinner - against North Dakota (4/6) in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee, Wis. ... assisted on Brock Bradford's game-winning goal late in the third period of a 3-2 home win over Providence (10/29) ... tallied an assist on Dan Bertram's decisive goal in the team's 3-0 home win over Merrimack (11/26).

BEFORE BC: Played the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons in the U.S. National Team Development Program ... registered 29 points - 13 goals and 16 assists - in 38 games with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2004-05 ... scored four power-play goals, three game-winning goals and one shorthanded goal ... played for head coach Ron Rolston ... played 25 regular-season games for the USHL's Omaha Lancers in 2002-03; was the youngest player in the league ... was a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team that captured the gold medal at the 2005 IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Plzen, Czech Republic; registered four goals and four assists in six tournament games ... was also on the Under-18 Team than earned the silver medal at the 2004 IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Minsk, Belarus.

PERSONAL: Enrolled as a communications major in the College of Arts & Sciences ... is the 2007-08 recipient of the Driscoll Family Hockey Scholarship ... was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft .... Nathan is the youngest of Terrie and Joe Gerbe's six children.

Nate Gerbe Profile - BCeagles.com