SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hartford Wolf Pack goaltender Al Montoya has been named the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending December 31, 2006. In three road games last week, Montoya went 3-0-0 with two shutouts to help the Wolf Pack keep pace in the tight Atlantic Division.
Coming out of the Christmas break, Montoya stopped all 20 shots he faced in a 2-0 win at Worcester on Dec. 26 for his first shutout of the year. After another 20-save performance in a 3-2 win at Bridgeport on Friday, Montoya earned another shutout by making 28 stops in a 2-0 win at Portland on Sunday. Montoya stopped 68 of 70 shots on the week, good for a 0.67 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage.
In recognition of his achievement, Montoya will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Wolf Pack home game.
A 21-year-old native of Glenview, Ill., Montoya is on a personal four-game winning streak to improve his record to 6-9-0 on the season. In 18 appearances, he ranks seventh in the league with a 2.48 goals-against average and also sports a .910 save percentage. As a rookie in 2005-06, Montoya went 23-9-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .907 save percentage for Hartford and also played in the 2006 AHL All-Star Classic. He was the sixth overall pick by the New York Rangers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Other nominees for CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week include Albany right wing Shane Willis, Chicago center Cory Larose, Grand Rapids center Kip Miller, Hershey center Joey Tenute, Houston right wing Mattias Weinhandl, Lowell left wing Chris Minard, Manchester goaltender Jason LaBarbera, Milwaukee left wing Ramzi Abid, Omaha center Andrei Taratukhin, Peoria center Trent Whitfield, Providence left wing T.J. Trevelyan, San Antonio center Pascal Rheaume, Springfield goaltender Karri Ramo, Syracuse center Joe Motzko, Toronto right wing Brett Engelhardt, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman Noah Welch and Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Also see: Previous winners, CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week
