A Couple of Hockey East Goalies on Mike Richter Award Watch List

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Recently, the Hockey Commissioners Association compiled a list of 32 NCAA Division I goalies that will compete for the Mike Richter Award, which goes to the top netminder in the country. Two of those goalies are from Hockey East schools. Senior goalies Henry Welsch Of UMass Lowell and Zachary Borgiel of Merrimack, also a senior, were named to the list. The award will be handed out during the Frozen Four in Minnesota in April.

Welsch, from Lakeville, Minnesota, has appeared in 16 games this year for the River Hawks and has started 12 of those games. He ranks 10th in the country with a .920 save percentage and also boasts the 12th-best goals-against average at 2.19. In league play, that GAA is 1.57 and the save percentage is .944 in seven Hockey East games played. He has one shutout to his credit which took place back on October 28. A 46-save performance against UConn. His record heading into this weekend’s series in Maine is 4-7-2. Welsch has allowed 27 goals with seven coming on power plays. UMass Lowell’s record is 7-12-2 overall and 3-6-1 in league play. The River Hawks won their last time out in Arizona in the Desert Classic vs Harvard. They were off last week.

Borgiel is from Fort Gratiot, Michigan. Heading into this weekend’s series vs Boston College, Zachary has a 6-5-1 record with a 2.56 goals-against average. He has appeared in 13 games starting 12 of those. He has a save percentage of .910, He has allowed 30 goals in over seven hundred minutes played. He has given up three power-play goals and one shorthanded. Borgiel has made 302 saves so far this year. The Warriors are 10-10-1 and 3-7-1 in Hockey East play. They have won three of their last four games to get back to a .500 record.

Both teams are on the second half of their schedules, which means the games get more important. Good goaltending will be a key to both of these teams as they look ahead to March and the Hockey East playoff.