SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Jake Allen of the Peoria Rivermen has been named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November. Allen made seven appearances on the month and went 6-1-0 with a 1.35 goals-against average, a .959 save percentage and three shutouts.
Allen stopped 213 of the 222 shots he faced in just under 400 minutes of work, facing more than 30 shots in five of his seven starts. He earned the shutout in a 3-0 decision over Houston with 22 saves on Nov. 13, and turned aside 37 shots in blanking Abbotsford, 2-0, on Nov. 19. Allen made a season-high 39 stops en route to a 3-2 shootout victory over Rockford on Nov. 21, and then shut out the IceHogs on 31 saves on Nov. 27. Allen finished November with a 36-save performance in a 3-2 win at Grand Rapids on Nov. 28.
In recognition of his achievement, Allen will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Rivermen home game.
A 20-year-old rookie from Fredericton, N.B., Allen leads the AHL in goals-against average (1.27), save percentage (.962) and shutouts (4) while posting an 8-1-0 record in nine appearances for Peoria. Allen was a second-round draft pick (34th overall) by the parent St. Louis Blues in 2008 and played his junior hockey in the QMJHL, where he was named the Major Junior Goaltender of the Year in 2009-10.
Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month include Abbotsford’s Leland Irving, Binghamton’s Barry Brust, Bridgeport’s Kevin Poulin, Charlotte’s Justin Pogge, Chicago’s Peter Mannino, Hamilton’s Curtis Sanford, Lake Erie’s Jason Bacashihua, Manchester’s Martin Jones, Milwaukee’s Mark Dekanich, Norfolk’s Cedrick Desjardins, Portland’s David Leggio, Providence’s Michael Hutchinson, Rochester’s Jacob Markstrom, Rockford’s Hannu Toivonen, San Antonio’s Matt Climie, Syracuse’s Jean-Philippe Levasseur, Texas’s Richard Bachman, Toronto’s Jussi Rynnas and Worcester’s Alex Stalock.
