[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]"Gray skies are just clouds passing over," Frank Gifford once said.

The former NFL star was talking literally about the weather, but the saying could be aptly applied to the season of Brian Elliott, who was named Wednesday to the Hobey "Hat Trick" as a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker award, given to the best player in college hockey.

The award may have marked the passing of Elliott's clouds.

Elliott began his season red hot. Like cream rising to the top, he ascended the ranks of college hockey goalies and showed he was the best before the skies went dark and he went down with a knee injury shortly before the Badgers' series with Denver.

He struggled in his comeback right up to the playoffs but now has made his way back to the top, with a chance at a Hobey Baker award to boot.

"It's an honor to be named even in the top 10," Elliott said of the award. "Then to be named in the top three, it's definitely something that doesn't happen to a lot of people, and I'm happy that I'm up there."

Elliott is joined in the top three by Denver defenseman Matt Carle — who has already signed with San Jose of the NHL — and Boston College forward Chris Collins.

Carle's considerable credentials include being the winner of this year's WCHA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He led the country in assists with 42 on the season and led all NCAA defensemen with 53 points.

Collins ranked second in the country in points, points per game, goals, and shorthanded goals. He was named Hockey East Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Hockey East selection.

Elliott's reputation speaks for itself. Despite being named only second-team All-WCHA by the league's coaches, he leads the country in nearly every statistical category, including goals against average (1.55), save percentage (.938) and shutouts (8).

He has been a cornerstone to the Badgers' success this year with a 25-5-3 record in net. Elliott, however, downplays his accomplishments, saying individual success doesn't just come from within.

"It really represents how the team has played," Elliott said of his Hobey Baker candidacy. "It's definitely a hard award to win when you're a goaltender, as you can see there's only a couple of guys that have won it in the past."

He speaks, of course, about Robb Stauber and Ryan Miller, the only two netminders to join the fraternity of Hobey winners. Neither player won the national title the year they won the award, though they were in the Frozen Four their respective times.

"I'm sure their goal was the same — to win a national championship," Elliott said. "Good for them to win the Hobey, but when you get out there it's all about the game and your team winning the game."

Once again, Elliott defers to team over self. The only thing for which he gives himself attention is when he concentrates on improving his game, which he does constantly and almost to the point of obsession.

He said he wasn't looking forward to watching tape of the Cornell game last weekend, his best game of the year, because it would probably make him angry picking out all the things he did wrong.

Angry? Did something wrong? This is coming from the guy who stopped 40 shots in the marathon triple-overtime game against Cornell while increasing his shutout streak to more than 252 consecutive minutes.

He hasn't given up a goal since Spring Break and currently rides a three-game shutout streak, but he believes beyond a doubt he can do better.

"There's always things you can improve on in your game," Elliott said. "Rebounds you can control better, especially plays with the puck and talking with your defensemen."

Elliott may seem other-worldly right now, as anyone who saw the NCAA tournament games last weekend can attest, but whether he can win a Hobey Baker award depends on how the votes laid out.

The 25-member selection committee already selected the winner, revealing only the "Hobey Hat Trick" before the actual ceremony Friday, Apr. 7 in Milwaukee.

Elliott's chances may have been hurt by not making the All-WCHA first team, and his slump in the weeks prior to the playoffs could have still been imprinted on the minds of the selection committee when they made their votes.

Either way, Elliott just wants to win a national title. To him, any hardware along the way is just a bonus.

"It's all about team with him," Badger defenseman Tom Gilbert said. "It doesn't matter what he gets, like second-team WCHA, it wasn't a big deal to him. All he wanted to do is let us go out there and prove that our team is No. 1."

The Badgers have a chance to do just that next week, as they sit only two wins from a national title and finishing their climb to the top of the mountain head coach Mike Eaves has talked about all season.

What's the best part about being at the top of the mountain?

It's above all the clouds.