Curry, Goligoski Named To All-Rookie Team
April 2, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
WILKES-BARRE, PA - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender John Curry and defenseman Alex Goligoski have been named to the American Hockey League All-Rookie Team, it was announced on Wednesday. The rookie team is determined by a vote of AHL coaches, players and media members.
Curry, 24, has recorded a 22-9-2 record, 2.16 goals against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts as of April 2. He ranks 12th in the league in wins, fourth in goals against average, tenth in save percentage and tied for ninth in shutouts.
Among first-year players, Curry ranks first in goals against average, second in save percentage, third in wins and second in shutouts. He was named the AHL's Rookie of the Month for January after recording a 4-1-1 record with a 1.48 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and one shutout in six starts.
A native of Shorewood, Minnesota, Curry began the season with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 2.81 goals against average and .905 save percentage in six games.
Curry then joined Team USA for the Deutschland Cup tournament in Hannover, Germany, where he posted a 1-0-1 record, a 1.92 goals against average and a .946 save percentage, helping the Americans to pick up a second place finish before joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on November 13.
A Hobey Baker Award finalist with Boston University last season, Curry was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent on July 12, 2007. He was named the Terriers' most valuable player for the third consecutive season in 2006-07 after posting a 17-10-8 record with a 2.01 goals against average and an NCAA-high seven shutouts. His goals against average ranked fourth in the nation while his .928 save percentage were sixth.
Curry was also named to the RBK All-America First Team and was the Hockey East Player of the Year following his senior season, while being named New England's Most Valuable Player by the New England Hockey Writers Association.
In four seasons with the Terriers, Curry posted a 59-29-8 record with a 2.07 goals against average, a .923 save percentage and 13 shutouts. His career goals against average and save percentages are the best in school history, while his shutout total tied the team record.
JOHN CURRY'S CAREER STATISTICS
Season Team League GP MP W-L-T/SOL GAA GA SVS SV% SO
2003-04 Boston U. HE 1 5:10 0-0-0 0.00 0 2 1.000 0
2004-05 Boston U. HE 33 1949:40 18-11-3 1.97 64 769 .923 3
2005-06 Boston U. HE 37 2166:01 24-8-4 2.24 81 907 .918 3
2006-07 Boston U. HE 36 2154:20 17-10-8 2.01 72 928 .928 7
2007-08 Las Vegas ECHL 6 342 4-1-0 2.81 16 153 .905 0
Team USA Deutschland 2 125 1-0-1 1.92 .946 70 .946 0
WBS Penguins AHL 34 1974 22-9-2 2.16 71 778 .916 3
Boston U. Totals 107 6275:11 59-29-15 2.07 227 2606 .923 13
Goligoski, 22, ranks second among rookie defenseman in scoring with 30 points (9+21) in 63 games with the Penguins, while his plus-15 rating is tied for sixth among first-year players. He represented Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the 2008 Rbk AHL All-Star Game in Binghamton on January 28.
A native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Goligoski made his National Hockey League debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 13 against the Boston Bruins, and has recorded two assists in three games with the NHL club this season.
Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (61st overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft, Goligoski spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota, recording 98 points (25+73) in 117 games with the Golden Gophers. He was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team in 2005 and secured All-WCHA Second Team honors as a sophomore.
Goligoski was selected as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, named a First Team AHCA All-American and to the First Team All-WCHA following his junior season in 2007, when he ranked first in the WCHA and second in the nation in defenseman scoring, and first in the WCHA and fifth in the nation in points per game among defensemen (0.89).
ALEX GOLIGOSKI'S CAREER STATISTICS
Season Team League GP G A PTS PIM +/-
2002-03 River City USHL 10 0 1 1 0
2003-04 Sioux Falls USHL 10 0 2 2 6
2004-05 U. of Minnesota WCHA 32 5 15 20 44 +3
2005-06 U. of Minnesota WCHA 41 11 28 39 63 +21
2006-07 U. of Minnesota WCHA 44 9 30 39 51 +24
2007-08 WBS Penguins AHL 63 9 21 30 51 +15
Pittsburgh NHL 3 0 2 2 2 +2
U. of Minnesota Totals 117 25 73 98 158 +48
Curry and Goligoski are the third and fourth players in Penguins history to be named to the AHL All-Rookie Team, joining Toby Petersen (2000-01) and Michel Ouellet (2003-04).
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