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Robb Stauber, the kid from Duluth who has been called too good to be true, won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Wednesday.
Stauber, the Gophers' record-shattering sophomore goaltender, is the first goalie to win the award honoring the nation's top collegiate hockey player. He was named on 11 of 13 ballots by the selection committee; runner-up Mark Vermette, Lake Superior State's 44-goal scorer, was named on 12 of the 13.
But Stauber outdistanced the field of 10 by getting the most first-place votes (four) and the most seconds (four). No one else received more than two first-place votes. Vermette, Edina's Paul Ranheim of Wisconsin, Pete Lappin of St. Lawrence and Steve Johnson of North Dakota each had two first-place votes.
The award was presented by Bloomington's Decathlon Athletic Club at a ceremony at the Lake Placid Olympic Arena, where Stauber and the Gophers will play St. Lawrence in Friday's NCAA semifinal. The annual award banquet will be April 10 at the Decathlon Club.
Stauber was surprised when he learned he won the award five minutes before the ceremony began. Gophers coach Doug Woog knew about it but kept it secret.
"It's a great honor," Stauber said. "But really, I'd like to think it's a tribute to our coaching staff and all our players. Without their hard work and dedication, I couldn't have won. Every player on that team loves the guy next to him. They've been behind me all year, personally." Stauber set Gophers season records for most shutouts (five), most victories (34), most saves (1,171), most...