UNO's Ryan Walters In Running for Hobey Baker Award

#wally4hobey

UNO junior forward Ryan Walters leads the nation in scoring with 33 points on the season, and his 13 goals also lead the nation. So it's no surprise that he's on the list of candidates for the Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the nation's best collegiate hockey player both on and off the ice. UNO's last Hobey Baker candidate was Scott Parse, who was a finalist in both 2006 and 2007.

Award criteria include candidates emulating the exceptional character traits exhibited by the award's namesake, Hobey Baker. An American super-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. 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 also is given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.  

The fan vote for the Hobey Baker award began today, which continues through March 10th, counts for 1% of the determination of the top ten finalists for the award.

In November, Walters was named the national player of the month for his 15 point performance in leading the Mavs to a perfect 7-0 record.

UNO fans have already started a Facebook page and declared the #wally4hobey hashtag on Twitter.  Not sure if anybody's started anything on Pinterest, but give them time.