When Barry Goers' Plan A — to study at the U.S. Naval Academy — fell through, he decided he needed to take a break from school. Plan B sent the recent Council Rock-North High School graduate from Bucks County up to Burlington, Vt., to begin his athletic education.

Goers spent two years living on his own and working part-time while training with the Green Mountain Glades of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He thrived, making the EJHL All-Star team both years and garnering league Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2005-06.

But by the time UMass-Lowell came calling with an NCAA Division I hockey scholarship, Goers was more than ready to hit the books again.

“After taking that extra time off, I was actually excited to come back to college,” says Goers, now 21 and a star sophomore defenseman for the River Hawks. “I was excited to learn and get my life going a little bit.

“It's funny. Being 18 and kind of being burned out, I guess you could say, from high school and just trying to jump right into college, I don't think I would have done as well. I definitely wasn't as mature.”

Goers' maturity has earned him national recognition. He recently was nominated for this year's Hobey Baker Award, given annually to a hockey player with exceptional character and academic standing. (The winner will be announced during the NCAA Frozen Four tournament next month.)

“It's really an honor to even be nominated,” Goers says. “It's one of the most prestigious awards in hockey, so I was really surprised that I was nominated. I never thought I would be.”

Goers has amassed an impressive resume at UMass-Lowell.

He boasts a 3.82 grade-point average and has made the Dean's list in each of his semesters so far. On the ice, the Ivyland resident is the third-highest-scoring defenseman in Hockey East with 22 points (four goals, 18 assists).

That's 18 more points than he scored last year as a freshman.

“Last year was time to do a lot of learning and development,” says Goers, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 175 pounds. “I think I really learned a lot and was able to gain a lot from playing the college game, because it's much faster and more physical than any hockey I've played before. So I think that helped me this year.”

Not surprisingly, Goers says his ultimate career goal is to play professional hockey. Of course, he's also got a Plan B.

“I'm going to be a finance major,” he says, “so if [pro hockey] doesn't work out, I'll be looking to join the business world and see what I can do there.”