The American Hockey League announced today that Worcester IceCats goaltender Jason Bacashihua has been named the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 9, 2005. Bacashihua won all three of his appearances last week, stopping 93 of the 95 shots he faced along the way.
Bacashihua started the week with 32 saves as Worcester posted a 2-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night, ending the Penguins’ four-game winning streak. The IceCats then headed to Texas for the weekend, and Bacashihua began the trip with another 32-save performance as Worcester knocked off San Antonio, 4-1, on Friday night. He finished the week by recording his second shutout of the season, making 29 saves in a 1-0 triumph at Houston on Sunday. For the week, Bacashihua registered a 0.67 goals-against average and a .979 save percentage to go with his 3-0-0 record.
In recognition of his achievement, Bacashihua will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming IceCats home game.
A native of Garden City, Mich., Bacashihua is in his third professional season and first in the St. Louis Blues organization. He was taken by Dallas with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Utah Grizzlies, where he was a combined 31-37-7 in 78 appearances. This season with Worcester, the 22-year-old Bacashihua is 12-4-0 with a 2.14 GAA and .917 save percentage, including wins in nine of his last 10 decisions.
Other nominees for CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week include Binghamton center Jason Spezza, Bridgeport left wing Barrett Heisten, Chicago right wing J.P. Vigier, Cincinnati right wing Joffrey Lupul, Cleveland defenseman Jim Fahey, Edmonton goaltender Mike Morrison, Grand Rapids goaltender Drew MacIntyre, Hamilton forward Corey Locke, Hartford left wing Alexandre Giroux, Hershey goaltender Peter Budaj, Houston goaltender Mike Smith, Lowell forward Colin Forbes, Manchester center Yanick Lehoux, Manitoba left wing Jason King, Norfolk defenseman James Wisniewski, Philadelphia goaltender Neil Little, Portland center Boyd Gordon, Providence forward Andy Hilbert, Rochester forward Daniel Paille, San Antonio goaltender Travis Scott, Springfield defenseman Brian Chapman, St. John’s goaltender J.S. Aubin, Syracuse right wing Peter Ferraro and Utah goaltender David LeNeveu.