Brian Elliott
Wisconsin
Statistics: 25-5-3, 1.55 GAA, .938 save pct., 8 shutouts

Rare is the player who demonstrates his ability and value more when he's on the bench than on the ice.

Such was the case for Brian Elliott in 2005-06. While he struggled with a knee injury in late January and early February, the Badgers went into a tailspin, proving the importance of their leader in goal.

But simply pointing to the void left in his absence would discount what he's done while on the ice. Elliott leads the nation in every goaltending category. At the NCAA Regionals, he carried the Badgers to two shutout wins, highlighted by a 1-0 triple-overtime victory over Cornell in the Midwest Regional Final.

He heads to the Frozen Four riding a three-game shutout streak, which serves as an exclamation point on his amazing season. He could pick up two pieces of hardware in Milwaukee that would add even more to his impressive resume: the Hobey Baker Award, for which he is one of three finalists, and the NCAA Championship trophy, for which the Badgers are favored.

If he comes away with either of those, it would make his 2005-06 season that much better. If not, he's still proven to be the best goaltender in college hockey this year.

Runner-up: Cory Schneider, Boston College