MSU suffered a disheartening loss to North Dakota in last year’s Frozen Four, but Ryan Miller won the 2001 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s outstanding player the very next day.
This year, the Spartans’ season ended earlier - with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss Friday - and so did the junior goaltender’s Hobey Baker pursuit.
Miller, one of 10 semifinalists for the 2002 Hobey, didn’t make the cut of three finalists announced Wednesday by the Hobey Baker Award Selection Committee.
St. Cloud State forward Mark Hartigan, New Hampshire forward Darren Haydar and Minnesota defenseman Jordan Leopold are the finalists - dubbed the “Hobey Hat Trick” - and will be invited to the April 5 award presentation in St. Paul, Minn.
Haydar and Leopold already will be in St. Paul because their teams are competing in the Frozen Four. Hartigan signed with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday and isn’t expected to attend the ceremony.
Miller, 21, led the nation with eight shutouts this season and finished third in goals against average (1.77), saves percentage (.936) and minutes played (2411:26) in compiling a 26-9-5 record.
He hadn’t heard about the three finalists as of late Wednesday afternoon, but when he did, he wasn’t very upset.
“Cool, I get to stay in town,” Miller said from his East Lansing home.
He said he’s more agitated with the team’s loss to Colorado College last week than his elimination from award contention.
“It’s not a big disappointment,” Miller said. “To win it last year was great and to be one of the 10 finalists this year was an honor, too. To put that back-to-back is pretty good.
“I had a great season, but it’s tough to win that thing. You have to have the perfect season.”
Miller will, however, play for the U.S. National Team at next month’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Sweden. The official roster has not yet been announced because it hinges on which teams make the NHL playoffs, but Miller said Wednesday he will leave with the American team April 21.
Miller was one of two college players on last year’s U.S. team, but he didn’t get any game action while backing up the Phoenix Coyotes’ Robert Esche and minor leaguer Rick DiPietro.
The World Championship will be played in Gothenburg, Karlstad and Jonkoping, Sweden this year. The U.S. team starts play against Italy on April 27 in Karlstad.
But what really concerns MSU fans is whether Miller will be back in green and white next season. He’s the property of the Buffalo Sabres and could be tendered a contract this off-season. If he accepts the offer, he would forego his senior season and turn pro.
After the loss to Colorado College, a choked up Miller said, “Unless they’re kicking me off the team, I’m planning on being a Spartan. I’m a Spartan, and as you can see, I’m pretty emotional about it.”
But earlier this week, Miller said people took that comment “way out of context.”
“Some people were saying, ‘Oh he’s back, it’s for sure,’” Miller said. “But it’s still the same status it was before that. I’ve always planned on being a Spartan for four years and nobody’s given me any other options.
“All this speculation has never been out of my own mouth.”
A Sabres spokesman said General Manager Darcy Regier is the only person who knows the team’s plans regarding Miller. The spokesman said Buffalo won’t make a decision before its season is over, and the process could even stretch into the summer.
“We didn’t sign him last year because we were set at goalie with Dominik (Hasek), Marty (Biron) and Mika (Noronen),” the spokesman said. “Now we don’t have Dom, so our situation is a little different.”
