By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Thunder goaltender Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) earned his second recognition as the United States Hockey League’s Goaltender of the Week Monday.
The announcement follows a three-in-three sweep for Lavigne and the Thunder on the road, to attain fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 58 points this season. The third-year USHL veteran helped the team secure their six points starting in all three games.
The Week 23 honor for CCM Goaltender of the Week is the second of the season for Lavigne and the fifth weekly award of the year for the Thunder who have also collected wins from Logan Halladay (Merrimack College), defenseman Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University), and Logan Lambdin (Michigan State University).
“It’s a great feeling,” said Lavigne on his second honor. “Obviously I have to give a lot of credit to my defenseman and especially the forwards after a 10-1 win.”
The 19-year old goaltender took home his third shutout of the season and the fourth of his career on Thursday night against the United States National Team Development Program. The shutout came on 24 saves and almost 64 minutes of work. The Thunder ended the game with a 1-0 win in overtime on a deflection from Jake Slaker (St. Lawrence University).
The next night, Lavigne continued his shutout streak to over 100 minutes before the Youngstown Phantoms could counter. Rattling off another 24 saves, the Brampton, ON native helped the team hold on for a 2-1 win over their Eastern Conference rivals. Lavigne and the Thunder defense dazzled on special teams, going 7-7 on the penalty kill, and stopping two separate 5-on-3 chances.
The Thunder gave their backstop some breathing room to finish the weekend as Lavigne made 19 saves Saturday during the largest win in team history. The 10-1 decision helped Lavigne to 67 saves in three straight games and a weekend accumulation of a .971 save percentage and 0.65 goals against average.
“You just need to focus on the next shot. You can’t be thinking five or ten minutes down the road,” said Lavigne on the focus through a close game and a three game weekend. “Each shot is just as important as the last one. You just need to bear down and make each save.”
Lavigne stands at 6-foot-3 between the pipes and earned his 20th win of the season on Saturday night. His USHL career has spanned three seasons and 92 games played. The Thunder’s goaltender has taken hold of his time in Bloomington, going 30-13-0-2 and collecting all four of his career shutouts with Thunder. The goaltender has won five of his last six appearances and making over 120 saves in that stretch.
In addition to leading the Thunder organization record books in a majority of stats, Lavigne has earned his spot among the elite goaltenders in the league this season. The University of Michigan prospect has top seven numbers in goals against average, wins, and games played.
“We showed this weekend that we can come out and win three games in a row,” said the Thunder goaltender whose team is primed for a playoff push. “We gave ourselves some nice separation this weekend but we know those five points can dwindle quickly if we don’t take advantage of it.”
The Thunder will host the NTDP Friday at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum at 7 p.m. It is the second annual Chicago Blackhawks night as the Thunder look for their fourth straight win.
