Monster week earns Bacashihua league honor

reebok08.jpg

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Lake Erie Monsters goaltender Jason Bacashihua has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Mar. 1, 2009. In three appearances, Bacashihua went 3-0-0 with a 0.65 goals-against average and a .973 save percentage with two shutouts, stopping 72 of 74 shots.

Bacashihua made 19 saves on Wednesday night for his first shutout of the season, leading Lake Erie to a 6-0 win over Syracuse. On Friday, he stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 2-0 victory over Toronto. And on Saturday, Bacashihua took his bid for a third consecutive blanking deep into the third period, extending his shutout streak to 174 minutes and 56 seconds before closing out Grand Rapids in a 3-2 shootout win.

In recognition of his achievement, Bacashihua will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Monsters home game.

With wins in each of his last six starts, Bacashihua is now 11-16-3 in 31 games for Lake Erie this season, showing a 2.54 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Bacashihua, a seventh-year pro from Garden City, Mich., has appeared in 203 career AHL games and has a career record of 80-95-17 with 14 shutouts. He has also made 38 career appearances in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. Bacashihua was selected by Dallas in the first round (26th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and was acquired by Colorado from St. Louis for future considerations on Nov. 8, 2007.

Other nominees for Reebok/AHL Player of the Week include Albany right wing Brandon Sutter, Binghamton center Peter Regin, Bridgeport left wing Jesse Joensuu, Chicago goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, Grand Rapids right wing Darren Haydar, Hartford goaltender Matt Zaba, Hershey right wing Graham Mink, Houston center Marco Rosa, Iowa right wing Troy Bodie, Lowell right wing Nicklas Bergfors, Manchester goaltender Jonathan Bernier, Manitoba right wing Mike Keane, Milwaukee right wing Patric Hornqvist, Peoria defenseman Steve Wagner, Philadelphia center Jonathan Matsumoto, Portland left wing Mathieu Darche, Quad City center Aki Seitsonen, Rochester right wing Michael Duco, Rockford center Tim Brent, San Antonio defenseman Sean Sullivan, Syracuse left wing Alexandre Picard, Toronto defenseman Anton Stralman and Worcester left wing Lukas Kaspar.

Also see: Previous winners, Reebok/AHL Player of the Week