NCAA notebook: Hobey and Richter top 3, Mercyhurst cuts its program, coaching changes and more

On Thursday afternoon, we moved seven steps closer to finding out the next Hobey Baker award winner.

The list of Hobey Baker finalists dropped from 10 to just three, and we found out this season's Hobey Hat Trick is comprised of Michigan centre TJ Hughes, Minnesota-Duluth winger Max Plante, and Denver defenceman Eric Pohlkamp. That left several highly regarded upperclassmen, including Michigan State's Trey Augustine, on the cutting-room floor.

Hughes, a senior, has been the most consistent and highest-scoring player on the No. 1 team in the country. He's up to 21-35—56, good for second in the country (three behind now-eliminated Ethan Wyttenbach of Quinnipiac), which includes 1-2—3 last weekend in the regionals. Hughes averages almost 19 minutes per night.

Plante (25-27—52) isn't far behind H