Local hockey players make Hobey Baker ballot

Date: 1/8/2015

SPRINGFIELD – A pair of local athletes were recently included on the ballot for the 2015 Hobey Baker Award.

American International College (AIC) forward and Springfield native Austin Orszulak and East Longmeadow’s Frank Vatrano, a forward at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), were included in the initial 59-player list, which opened for public voting Jan 7.

Since 1981, the Hobey Baker Award has been awarded each year to the most outstanding U.S. collegiate hockey player.

Orszulak, a sophomore, is one of two AIC players to make the list, joined by senior forward Alexander MacMillan.

Orszulak has been a sniper for the Yellow Jackets, leading the team with 13 goals heading into Jan. 9 and 10 road games against Rochester Institute of Technology.

He is also second on the Yellow Jackets roster in scoring with 20 points, having also assisted seven goals.

MacMillan, who is one point ahead of Orszulak, was most recently named Atlantic Hockey Player Of The Week on Jan. 6.

Orszulak is tied for third in goals in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA). MacMillan and Orszulak also rank fifth and tied for sixth, respectively in the AHA in points. MacMillan’s 12 assists are also top-10 in the league.

Vatrano, a redshirt sophomore, leads the Minutemen with 19 points and 12 goals heading into a pair of home games against Maine on Jan. 9 and 10. With those totals, he is also tied for the Hockey East lead.

Vatrano is the only UMass player on the list. He in his first full season with the Minutemen after making his debut last season in the Hockey East Tournament after practicing, but not playing in games with UMass during the regular season due to NCAA transfer restrictions.

He was named the conference’s Player of the Month for December 2014. In that month, he scored six goals and three assists in five games for a 1.8 point per game average that topped the national field.

Fan voting in the Hobey Baker selection process runs from now until March 8. Fans are allowed to vote for their favorite candidate once a day by visiting www.hobeybaker.com/awards/the-hobey-baker-memorial-award/vote.