Acton native Merrick Madson has been nominated Hobey Baker Award which recognizes NCAA Hockeys most valuable player.

Madson has been outstanding for the Harvard Crimson (NCAA DI) this season, starting 13 games compiling a 10-1-2 record while logging a 1.91 goals-against average and a .993 save percentage.

Madson grew up in Southern California, playing hockey in theWest Valley Wolves and California Heat organization before going New Hampshire to play prep school hockey. Eventually he moved to the North American Hockey League Minot Minotaur’s for the 2013-14 season.

In 2013 he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL in the sixth round (162 overall) of the 2013 entry-level player draft.

This season Madson earned his first collegiate shutout in his first start this season, stopping 25 shots in a 7-0 win over Dartmouth. He has since added shutouts of Princeton, and two against Rensselaer, one of which came in a 0-0 tie, stopping 126 shots over those four games.

He was named the Shillelagh tournament MVP, stopping 60-of-61 shots he faced in the tournament including all 31 in the title game, a 4-0 shutout of Rensselaer.

He was also named to the Mariucci Classic all tournament team after stopping 60-of-65 shots faced in the Crimson’s two game sweep.

The Crimson are 11-4-3 and ranked number seven in the USCHO.com poll, number eight in the USA Today/USA Hockey pole and number nine in the RPI pole.

To vote fore Merrick to become a finalist go to the Hobey Baker Award Facebook page.