South Carolina's Shepard named Warrior Hockey/ECHL Goaltender of the Month

Action photo of South Carolina's Hunter Shepard

Hunter Shepard of the South Carolina Stingrays has been selected as the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December.

Shepard went 2-0-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a save percentage of .935 in three appearances during the opening month of the ECHL season.

The 25-year-old allowed two goals or less in two of his three appearances while making at least 26 saves in all three games, including stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced in a 2-1 victory at Jacksonville on Dec. 18 to earn his first professional win.

Under contract to Hershey of the American Hockey League, Shepard is 2-1-1 in five appearances this season while ranking seventh in the ECHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and ninth with a .928 save percentage. He leads rookie goaltenders, and is sixth overall, with 261 minutes played.

Prior to turning pro, Shepard appeared in 119 career games at the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he went 76-37-5 with 17 shutouts, a 1.94 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922.

Runners Up: Zach Sawchenko, Allen (3-1-0, 2.75 GAA, .932 save pct.) and Cam Johnson, Florida (3-1-0, 2.52 GAA, .911 save pct.).

Also Nominated: Andrew Shortridge (Kansas City), Clint Windsor (Orlando), Shane Starrett (Wheeling) and Mitch Gillam (Wichita).