Democracy on the March: Fake Team Awards III

Two years ago, our Seventh Player vote was decisive, and the Fan Favorite was a nailbiter. Last year, you reversed that.

There were 10 votes this year (same as last year, but hey, keeping the franchise up), and we’ve gone back to the 2006 pattern.

Fan Favorite was spread out, but with the plurality, Kip Brennan got the nod with four votes. He just beat finished ahead of fellow tough guy Pascal Morency, who received three votes. Jeff Tambellini, with two, and Mike Morrison, with one, rounded out the balloting.

Seventh Player was a runaway for Trevor Smith, who received seven votes as the BST player who most exceeded expectations. Tambellini, rather unsolicited, was raving about Smith last night, the way he came back from Utah and stepped his game up, surely the best example of the several players who did just that while Bridgeport rode out the call-ups. Morrison, Tim Jackman and Ben Walter picked up a vote apiece.

If we went by picks-per-game to decide the Three Stars Award, it’d be Wade Dubielewicz for the third year in a row. (One second-star pick in two games? Not bad.) But we don’t go by that. And that’s why the award goes to Jeff Tambellini, who, going into Sunday, has racked up seven first-star picks, five second-stars, and eight third-stars. Mike Morrison is the only player close, but Tambellini beats him on total picks (20-14), on the 5-3-1 system (58-48) and on the 3-2-1 system (39-31). Morrison has a little better ratio per-game, but on the other hand, goalie-bias helps him, too. Of note are Colton Fretter, who was picked five times (including three first-star picks) in 18 games here, and Smith, who has had three firsts, three seconds and two thirds… all since Feb. 8.

Thanks to all for your votes.

Fake Team Awards History
Seventh Player
2006–
Matt Koalska
2007–Jason Pitton
2008–Trevor Smith

Fan Favorite
2006–
Steve Regier
2007–Wade Dubielewicz
2008–Kip Brennan

Three Stars Award
2006–
Wade Dubielewicz
2007–Wade Dubielewicz
2008–Jeff Tambellini

Michael Fornabaio