LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell junior goalie
Christoffer Hernberg (Espoo, Finland) has been named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Month after backstopping the River Hawks to five victories during November.
Hernberg allowed no more than two goals in five of his six starts during the month as UMass Lowell put together consecutive Hockey East sweep weekends and moved from the cellar into the fight for a first round bye. Hernberg put up impressive numbers during the month with a 1.84 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.
"Christoffer has received a well deserved honor," according to Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "He has been one of the main reasons we have been able to climb back in hunt for home ice as we approach the half way point in our season. We feel confident goaltending will continue to be a strength based on the competition for playing time that is evolving in practices."
The month saw Hernberg pick up back-to-back wins against New Hampshire and Northeastern, both nationally ranked. He followed that up with a pair of wins against UConn including a 33 save effort in a 1-0 shutout win in front of a hostile crowd at the XL Center in Hartford. The shutout was his second of the season.
The junior netminder who had only three career starts prior to this season has started ten of UMass Lowell's 15 games this season. He ranks fifth in the nation with a .939 save percentage and is third with a 1.64 goals against average. He leads Hockey East in both categories.
This is the third time that Hernberg has been honored by Hockey East this season. He was honored as the Player of the Week November 20 after the weekend sweep against UConn. Hernberg also earned the Defensive Player of the Week October 23rd after wins against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
UMass Lowell is 8-7-0 overall and in fifth place in Hockey East with a 5-5-0 record.
The River Hawks return to the ice Friday, December 8, for the first of a Hockey East home-and-home weekend against Boston University. The Terriers sit in fourth place one point ahead of UMass Lowell, but the River Hawks have a game in hand.
