Boston College goalie improves his record this season to 8-1-0 with a 1.39 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.
It was the fourth shutout of the season for Fowler, who was selected by the Canadiens in the third round (69th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old improved his record this season to 8-1-0 with a 1.39 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.
As a freshman last season at Boston College, Fowler had a 32-6-1 record with a 2.14 GAA, a .926 save percentage and three shutouts. He was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and was one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the NCAA.
Boston College, ranked third in the NCAA, improved its record to 9-2-0. Boston College will play Northeastern again Saturday night in Boston.
“The draft is a hard thing for teams, depending on your needs and everything,” Boston College head coach Greg Brown told The Gazette during an interview last May. “I do think (the Canadiens) are probably very happy that they picked (Fowler) and they should be. Everything he showed in his freshman year is that he’s trending to be an outstanding goalie and a great prospect for the Canadiens.
“He has a great demeanour of staying level-headed whether things are going well or not well,” Brown added. “He’s got a real maturity to his game that way and then he’s very efficient, which is something that allows him to stay consistent. He plays positionally so well. He doesn’t get out of control lunging back and forth to make spectacular saves. Those two things translate pretty well to continuing to groom his game toward being a pro.”
Two-goal game for Hage at Michigan
Michael Hage, selected by the Canadiens in the first round (21st overall) of this year’s NHL Draft, scored two goals Friday night — including the game-winner — as the University of Michigan beat Penn State 6-5 in State College, Pa.
In 10 games as a freshman at Michigan, Hage has 7-4-11 totals to lead the team in scoring. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound centre had 33-42-75 totals in 54 games with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.
Michigan, ranked fifth by the NCAA, improved its record to 8-2-1.
Canadiens top TSN ranking of U-24 players
The Canadiens are No. 1 in TSN’s annual NHL team ranking of players under the age of 24 that were released this week.
The top five rated players by TSN in the Canadiens’ organization who started the season at age 23 or younger are, in order, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson and Fowler.
Demidov, selected by the Canadiens in the first round (fifth overall) of this year’s NHL Draft, has 6-14-20 totals in 30 games this season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.
“It’s an embarrassment of riches,” Craig Button, TSN’s director of scouting, said about the young Canadiens players on the TSN website, “and a reason to be patient with the franchise rebuild.”
-1718932865-q80.webp "Cаm Abbott Hіred аs Heаd Coасһ of Cһісаgo Wolves")
