Taylor Gauthier of the Wheeling Nailers has been named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for March.
Gauthier went 8-1-1 with two shutouts, a 1.73 goals-against average and a save percentage of .949 in 11 appearances during the month.
The 25-year-old allowed two goals or less in seven of 11 outings while making at least 29 saves on 10 occasions. He made 38 saves in a 4-3 shootout win at Trois-Rivières on March 20 and stopped 49 of 50 shots in a 2-1 victory over Worcester on March 28. On March 27, he turned aside all 34 shots in a 4-0 win against the Railers, setting a new team record with his 10th career shutout.
Under a National Hockey League contract with Pittsburgh, Gauthier is 19-7-5 in 32 appearances for the Nailers this season with three shutouts. He leads the ECHL with a .932 save percentage and is third with a 2.00 goals-against average.
Gauthier has seen action in 120 career games for Wheeling with a record of 69-40-10 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a save percentage of .923. In addition to setting Wheeling’s all-time shutout record, he also is the team’s career leader in games played by a goaltender and wins. He also has appeared in 25 career games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League where he is 10-5-7 with two shutouts, a 2.77 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
Prior to turning pro, Gauthier was 77-91-11 in 194 career appearances in the Western Hockey League with Prince George and Portland with 10 shutouts, a 3.03 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909.
