Duncan wins Hobey Baker

ST. LOUIS -- North Dakota sophomore Ryan Duncan won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award last night as the nation's top college hockey player.

The 5-foot-8-inch forward from Calgary, Alberta, had 31 goals and 26 assists to lead his team to its third consecutive Frozen Four. The Fighting Sioux lost to Boston College in the semifinals Thursday.

"This award means a lot to me. It's amazing," he said.

Meanwhile, BC captain Brian Boyle, now playing defense, was named an East All-American as a forward, as was fellow senior Michel Leveille of Maine.

Duncan, a West All-American, played on arguably the best line in college hockey and was one of three Fighting Sioux players to average at least a point per game, joining fellow All-American Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie. Duncan, who finished with the third-most power-play goals in the nation with 17, joined Tony Hrkac as the only two players from the school to win the award. Hrkac received the award in 1987.

Duncan was a finalist along with Notre Dame goalie David Brown (1.58 goals against average) and Air Force forward Eric Ehn (64 points).

As his team returned home yesterday, University of Maine coach Tim Whitehead dealt with the loss of his mother-in-law, who was killed in an automobile accident a day earlier en route to the Frozen Four.

The accident happened about 5:30 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 70 near Springfield, Ohio -- about three hours from Debra Smith's home in Medina, Ohio.

Smith, 57, was lying down, sleeping in the back seat of the SUV her husband was driving when the vehicle slid on an icy overpass and into the path of a tractor-trailer, Ohio State Highway Patrol Sergeant Terry Bush said. Smith was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where she died.

Whitehead did not tell his players before their game against Michigan State, which Maine lost, 4-2.

Whitehead revealed the tragedy after the game. He did not discuss the accident with the media.

Timothy Smith and the couple's son, Brad Smith, 34, were taken to a hospital, but their injuries did not appear serious, Bush said.

The accident remained under investigation. Bush declined to speculate if Timothy Smith would be charged, but said charges are possible.

Although he came up woefully short in the tale of the tape against Maine's 6-foot-7-inch goaltender Ben Bishop, Jeff Lerg, Michigan State's 5-6 sophomore goaltender, more than measured up to Boston College's Nathan Gerbe, a hyper-quick 5-6 sophomore winger who played youth hockey with Lerg in Oxford, Mich. Asked if Gerbe's height was generously listed in BC's hockey media guide, Lerg laughed and said, "Gerbe? Oh, he and I are about eye to eye. We've been the same height. We're both about 5-5, maybe a half-inch over. We're about eye to eye." . . . BC has won 13 straight games . . . Michigan State coach Rick Comley, whose 1991 Northern Michigan squad won the national championship after defeating Boston University, 8-7, in three overtimes, will attempt to join Eagles coach Jerry York (Bowling Green, BC) and Ned Harkness (RPI, Cornell) as the only hockey coaches to win titles at more than one school . . . Although BC and Michigan State have not faced each other in the championship, Michigan schools are undefeated in five title clashes against schools from the Bay State. BC lost to Michigan Tech in 1965 and to Michigan in 1998 . . . Framingham's Kristin Savard, the captain of the Yale women's hockey team, received the Hockey Humanitarian Award last night during the Frozen Four Skills Challenge.

Michael Vega of the Globe staff contributed to this report.