Acknowledging a conflict of interest up front -- let me put in a word for
Jamie Ram for Hobie Baker.  I cannot imagine a player meant more to his team
than Ram -- the results in the payoof round against CC and against Northern
Michigan in the first period of that game deomnstate my point.  Ram played
through significant difficulties this year almost always at a very high
level.  He performed consistently despite the failure of the team to score
goals for him -- 7 goals in one 8 game streak, if I remember correctly.  He
had to play as though the team would lose unless he got a shut-out.  Then he
raised his game a notch during the play-offs.  He faced the most shots in
the WCHA by more than 70, yet had a goals against of about 3.11 (Carey at
Wisconsin beat him out with a 3.09 -- correct me if I';m off on these
numbers).  He had the best saves percentage.  And the team as a whole lost
something like 15 games by a single goal.
 
Michigan Tech certainly had a strange year, but I hope that the lack of
performance by the whole team will not overshadow Jamie's individual effort.
His selection as the first team WCHA goalie is a measure that the players he
faced recognized his ability.