OK, I know the Maine fans will shudder at my having brought this up so
early :-), but bear with me (pun intended).
 
I talked to a couple of people about this this weekend.  They all say the
same thing: he's a deserving candidate, but "he's only a freshman".  I
can't figure this out.  Kariya is far and away the leading scorer in the
nation with 8-21--29, and most of his assists come when he feeds the goal
scorer directly.  I already mentioned how some folks think he is too good
for college hockey - after his first 9 games.  From what I've seen, he's
the best player on the best team in the country (Jim Montgomery a close
second).  He's on pace to smash the all-time single season scoring record.
 
So why doesn't he deserve serious consideration?  Why can't a freshman win
the Hobey?  Stauber won it as a sophomore, and he was dominating enough
that they had to give it to him.  Kariya is just such a player, but the
only knock against him getting it is "he's a freshman; we have to give it
to upperclassmen."  That's ridiculous.  If he continues at or near this
pace, he would easily get my vote.  I still think it's possible he will
tail off and that Montgomery will emerge as Maine's best candidate due to
experience, but Kariya shows no signs of tailing off yet - 4 points in the
big weekend series against BU.
 
Some have compared him to Brian Leetch in his only season at BC as
being a similar playmaker.  Kariya is not as good a defensive player, but
then again he's not a defenseman.  His job is to set up Maine's truckload
of goalscorers, and he does that better than anyone I've seen in a long
while.  Having seen both, I think Kariya is an even better playmaker than
Leetch.  BTW, Leetch had 9-38--47 in 37 games with BC in 1986-87 and won
the HE Player of the Year.  And when Kariya gets the puck with a decent
scoring chance, forget it, it's buried; that is, unless he somehow uses
that Gretzky-like sense to find a Montgomery or Ingraham with an even
better opportunity.
 
Another possible roadblock is that no league has ever produced three
straight Hobey winners, and I don't know how voters from other conferences
feel about awarding it to a HE player for the third straight year.  It's
also possible that Maine would push Montgomery instead because he's their
captain and a senior.  But the way things stand, Kariya is the best IMO.
If that remains the same come March, I think it would be a shame not to
give it to him.
---
Mike Machnik    [log in to unmask]   Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)    *HMN*