Candidates named for inaugural Mike Richter Award

Let's Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation on Friday announced the 18 candidates for the inaugural Mike Richter Award, to honor the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's hockey.

Candidates for the award were determined by nominations from all 59 NCAA Division I men's hockey head coaches, and based on criteria including skill on the ice, academic standing, sportsmanship and community service.

The candidates combine for a 2.19 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and a grade-point average of 3.12.

The nominees for the 2014 Mike Richter Award are: seniors Sam Brittain (Denver), Aaron Crandall (Minnesota Duluth), Andy Iles (Cornell), Martin Ouellette (Maine), Steven Summerhays (Notre Dame) and Jason Torf (Air Force); juniors Ryan Faragher (St. Cloud State), C.J. Motte (Ferris State), Joel Rumpel (Wisconsin), Jimmy Sarjeant (Mercyhurst), Colin Stevens (Union) and Clay Witt (Northeastern); sophomores Jon Gillies (Providence), Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell), Jake Hildebrand (Michigan State) and Adam Wilcox (Minnesota); and freshmen Thatcher Demko (Boston College) and Zach Nagelvoort (Michigan).

Motte currently leads all candidates with a 22-5-3 record. Demko, the No. 1 goalie in NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American goalies for the 2014 NHL Draft, sports the best goals-against average at 1.74 and save percentage at .937. Summerhays is first with seven shutouts.

The finalists and winner will be selected by a committee of coaches, scouts and members of the media. The inaugural award will be presented at the 2014 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Philadelphia.

Richter won 301 games and a Stanley Cup in a 14-year NHL career spent entirely with the New York Rangers after starring collegiately for the University of Wisconsin. He also led the United States to the World Cup of Hockey championship in 1996 while winning tournament MVP.

Richter was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008, and his No. 35 is retired by the Rangers.