Lowell Lock Monsters goaltender Vitaly Kolesnik made 20 saves in his National Hockey League debut on Wednesday night, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Denver.
Kolesnik, 26, is in his first season of North American hockey. He has a record of 10-8-0 with a 2.80 goals-against average for Lowell this season.
Kolesnik is the second Lock Monster to make his NHL debut this week. Chad LaRose, who has 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points in 23 games with Lowell this season, was recalled over the weekend by Carolina and made his first NHL appearance in the Hurricanes’ 6-2 win at Anaheim on Tuesday.
There have now been 113 American Hockey Leaguers who have made their NHL debuts during the 2005-06 season.
