BRADEN HOLTBY NAMED CCM/AHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH

January 2, 2013

HERSHEY, Pa. – The HERSHEY BEARS, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced today that Braden Holtby has been selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.
 
In 10 appearances during the month, Holtby posted a 1.69 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and three shutouts for the BEARS.
 
Holtby allowed one goal or fewer in six of his 10 starts in December (5-4-1), including a 26-save effort in HERSHEY’s 2-1 win over Norfolk at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on December 6.  He led the BEARS to a sweep of their visit to St. John’s on December 11-12, stopping 62 of 63 shots combined in the back-to-back wins.  Holtby shut out Norfolk on December 19, making 35 saves in a 4-0 victory, and after turning aside 29 shots in a 1-0 loss to Springfield on December 22, he posted his third shutout in a five-game span – and third on three consecutive Wednesday nights – by registering 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 26.
 
Holtby (12-10-1) ranks sixth in the AHL with a 2.15 GAA, third with a .932 save percentage and tied for second with four shutouts in 23 games for HERSHEY in 2012-13.  The 23-year-old native of Lloydminster, Sask., has appeared in 130 career AHL games and owns a record of 73-43-7 with 14 shutouts, and was a member of the BEARS’ Calder Cup championship team in 2010.  A fourth-round draft choice by Washington in 2008, Holtby is also 14-4-3 in 21 career regular-season games in the National Hockey League, and helped the Capitals to within one win of the conference finals in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
 
In recognition of his achievement, Holtby will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming BEARS home game.
 
The BEARS open up the 2013 portion of their schedule on Saturday, January 5 with a 7:00 PM faceoff against the Binghamton Senators.  HERSHEY also hosts the Worcester Sharks on Sunday, January 6 at 5:00 PM, and the first 4,000 fans through the gates will receive a knit cap courtesy of PSECU.
 
Tickets for these games and all remaining HERSHEY BEARS home games may be purchased at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR, or online at TicketMaster.com.