BOSTON – Sophomore goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich.) of the No. 7 ranked UMass Lowell hockey team was named a First-Team Hockey East All-Star on Thursday night at the 30th annual Hockey East Championship awards banquet at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Hellebuyck, who was a Second-Team honoree in his freshman season, was tabbed by the 11 league head coaches as the best goaltender in the league. He is the fifth goaltender in school history to be named to the Hockey East All-Star team and the third First-Team goalie in team history. The last First-Team honoree was Dwayne Roloson in 1994. Mark Richards was also a First-Team selection for the River Hawks in 1992. Carter Hutton and Dave Delfino were UMass Lowell's Second-Team selections in 2010 and 1987, respectively.

In league play, Hellebuyck started 16 of 20 games for UMass Lowell and he posted a 9-5-2 record with a 1.99 GAA that ranked third among Hockey East goaltenders and his .935 save percentage was fourth best in conference action. He also totaled three shutouts for the River Hawks. 

Overall he owns a 15-8-2 record this season with a 1.87 GAA and a .938 save percentage to go along with four shutouts. Hellebuyck's save percentage and GAA lead the nation among Division I goaltenders, while his shutout total is tied for sixth nationally. He has started 14 of the last 16 contests for the River Hawks. He has allowed two goals or less in 15 of his 25 starts and has recorded 30+ saves on 12 occasions. Hellebuyck tied Carter Hutton's (2006-2010) school record with his 10th career shutout on Friday, February 28 at Vermont. 

The No. 2 seed River Hawks will return to action for the Hockey East semifinals on Friday, March 21st vs. the No. 8 seed University of Notre Dame. Game time is 5pm from the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The game will be televised live nationally on NBCSN and regionally on NESN.