Junior goaltender Ryan Miller found out Tuesday he missed the cut for the 72nd annual Sullivan Award - the highest honor for an amateur athlete in the nation.
Miller, who is widely regarded as the best collegiate goalie in the nation, was one of 14 semifinalists for the Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award, but he wasn’t included in the list of five finalists released this week.
The five finalists are: Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, former Southern Cal pitcher Mark Prior, world champion gymnast Sean Townsend, high school track star Alan Webb, and California swimmer Natalie Coughlin.
“All of those athletes have done a lot of good things, so I’m not insulted by it,” Miller said. “It’s just nice to be nominated. That’s a victory in and of itself.”
Miller was the first hockey player to ever be in the final 14 contenders for the Sullivan, AAU spokeswoman Melissa Wilson said.
He became a Sullivan semifinalist after winning the 2001 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s outstanding player last season. The NCAA’s all-time shutout king led the nation in almost every statistical category and carried MSU to a Frozen Four berth in 2001.
Although he’s out of contention for the Sullivan, Miller is expected to make the first cut for the 2002 Hobey Baker Award when the trophy committee announces its 10 semifinalists today. Still, Miller is considered a long shot to successfully defend his Hobey title because his current statistics are behind the pace he set last year.
“Last year, I didn’t really think I had a chance unless I could bear down and worry about winning hockey games,” Miller said. “The same thing goes this year. Just win games, do what’s best for the team and if that shapes up to be another award, that’s fine.”
After paring the Hobey field down to 10 players today, online fan voting will begin Friday at www.voteforhobey.com. The Hobey Baker Award Committee will announce three finalists on March 27 and award the trophy on April 5 in St. Paul, Minn.
Miller also is anticipated to reap honors at tonight’s CCHA Awards banquet at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, where social hour begins at 7 p.m. and the awards presentation starts at 8:15. The event is open to the public - tickets will be $15 at the door - and semi-formal attire is suggested. Call (248)-888-0600 for more information.
Miller will win the CCHA Goaltender of the Year honor because he has the lowest league goals against average (1.64), and he’s also likely to contend for CCHA Player of the Year.
Junior defenseman John-Michael Liles is a strong candidate for Best Offensive Defenseman and senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson could be up for Best Defensive Defenseman - which he won last season.
