March 19, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Two Boston University men's ice hockey players have been named as finalists for the 2009 Hobey Baker Award, as announced on Thursday by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation. Senior defenseman Matt Gilroy and sophomore forward Colin Wilson are among the 10 finalists for the award, honoring the nation's top collegiate hockey player.

This marks just the second time in program history that BU has two Hobey finalists, as both Chris Drury and Jay Pandolfo were among the final 10 in 1997. The Terriers' last Hobey finalist was John Curry in 2007.

Gilroy, who on Thursday became the first defenseman in Hockey East history to be named to the league first team three times, is the only player in the country to be named an RBK All-American in each of the past two seasons. He leads all Hockey East defensemen in points this season with 32 (8g, 24a) and has a plus-17 rating. Gilroy, a co-captain for the Terriers, has played in 140 consecutive contests.

The top scorer in Hockey East this year, Wilson is one point away from becoming the first Terrier since Chris Drury to record 50 points in a season. He has 14 goals and a league-high 35 assists on the season and registered 16 multi-point games. The 2008 Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Wilson is the first BU sophomore to get named as a Hobey finalist since Drury in 1996.

Gilroy is one of only two defensemen among the finalists, joining Jamie McBain of Wisconsin, and Alaska goaltender Chad Johnson is the only other senior in the top 10. The other finalists are Louie Caporusso (Michigan), Zane Kalemba (Princeton), Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force), David McIntyre (Colgate), Viktor Stalberg (Vermont) and Brad Thiessen (Northeastern).