HOLT DEFENDS NET AND SCORES
It’s always great to hear good things happening to good people. Congratulations are in order for one-time New York Ranger, Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers netminder Chris Holt who accomplished a feat that only nine other netminders in the 74-year history of the American Hockey League have ever done. Holt scored an empty net goal to seal his team’s 4-2 win over the Rochester Americans at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York on Friday night.
With Rochester goaltender Alexander Salak on the bench for an extra attacker in the final minute of regulation, Holt sent the puck the length of the ice and into the vacated net. He is the sixth AHL goalie to score by actually shooting the puck into the net (as opposed to being the last player on his team to play the puck before an opposing team’s “own goal”).
Holt also made 30 saves on the night to earn the victory for Binghamton.
Of the ten goaltenders that have accomplished this feat, two of them have Hartford Wolf Pack connections. Wolf Pack fans might remember J.F. Labbe’s tally on February 5th, 2000 when he did it at Quebec against the now defunct Citadelles. What’s also just happens to be an interesting coincidence in these goaltender tallies, is that while two of the goals were scored by Wolf Pack connected netminders, there’s only been one team that’s been scored on in that manner twice and it’s the Rochester Americans.
The other goaltenders who’ve managed this feat are:
Darcy Wakaluk, Rochester Americans – Dec. 5, 1987 at Utica
Paul Cohen, Springfield Indians – Mar. 28, 1992 vs. Rochester
Robb Stauber, Rochester Americans – Oct. 9, 1995 at Prince Edward Island
Christian Bronsard, Syracuse Crunch – Oct. 30, 1999 at Rochester
Jean-Francois Labbe, Hartford Wolf Pack – Feb. 5, 2000 at Quebec
Chris Mason, Milwaukee Admirals – Oct. 15, 2001 at Utah
Antero Niittymaki, Philadelphia Phantoms – Apr. 11, 2004 at Hershey
Seamus Kotyk, Milwaukee Admirals – Apr. 17, 2005 at San Antonio
Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba Moose – Feb. 20, 2008 at Chicago
Howlings extends this “Laurel…and Hardy” handshake of congratulations to a great friend of the site and a terrific person for putting his mark in the record book.
Here’s the goal itself…Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmskduL_gc]
