The ECHL has announced that Wheeling Nailers goaltender Taylor Gauthier has been named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goalie of the Week for the week of February 5-11.
Gauthier, 22, extended his personal winning streak to nine games, as he chalked up two home victories over the Reading Royals last week. Taylor denied 48 of the 49 shots he faced, with the Royals scoring their lone goal via a penalty shot on Friday night. In Friday’s 2-1 overtime triumph, the Wheeling netminder made 13 of his 23 saves in the third period and overtime to set the table for Jordan Martel’s heroics in the extra session.
Then, on Saturday, Gauthier earned his third Wheeling shutout of the season with a 25-save performance. That marked the second time this season that Taylor blanked the opposition in the second of back-to-back starts on consecutive days.
The Calgary, Alberta native continues to shine in league rankings. His 18 wins, three shutouts, and 1,754 minutes played are all the most in the ECHL. He currently ranks second with a 2.29 goals against average, and fifth in both saves (785) and save percentage (.921). Gauthier has played in 27 of Wheeling’s last 36 games, and has run his season record to 18-11-1.
He is the second Nailers goaltender in the last eight seasons to record 18 victories, and his nine-game winning streak is the second longest by a netminder in team history (10 by David Brumby in 1997-98).
This is the third time this season that Gauthier has been named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goalie of the Week. He joins Mike Condon (2013-14) as the only two Wheeling goaltenders to earn the honor three times in the same season. He is the fifth Nailer to win the award at least three times overall, joining Condon, Joel Laing, Tyler MacKay, and Peter Delmas.
Taylor Gauthier and the Nailers will travel to Utah this week to play a three-game series against the Grizzlies, with the first game taking place on Friday at 9:10. Wheeling’s next homestand will take place on February 23rd, 24th, and 25th. The highlight game of the weekend will be Country Night on Saturday the 24th, which features a post game concert by Jason Michael Carroll presented by Generations.
The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley.
