Inferno's Minard Named Reebok Hockey ECHL Saver of the Week

February 15, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - Mike Minard of the Columbia Inferno is the Reebok Hockey ECHL Saver of the Week for February 7-13. Minard, who won the honor for November 29-December 5, joins Dany Sabourin of Wheeling and Nick Boucher of Pee Dee as a two-time winner in 2004-05.

Minard went 1-0-1 with a shutout, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage while helping the Inferno go 2-0-1 to climb into a second-place tie with South Carolina in the East Division of the American Conference.

The 6-3 and 205-pound Minard stopped 34 shots in regulation, two shots in overtime and three of five shooters in the shootout as Columbia lost 3-2 in a shootout to East Division leader Charlotte on February 8. Minard bounced back to record his third shutout of the season, making 25 saves in a 2-0 win over Louisiana on Saturday.

Under contract to Manitoba of the American Hockey League, Minard is 3-1-0 with a 0.97 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage in February. He is 16-3-3 overall and ranks ninth among ECHL goaltenders with a 2.29 goals-against average.

A fourth round draft pick (83rd overall) of Edmonton in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Minard was named ECHL Saver of the Month for December in which he went 9-0-0 with a 1.62 GAA. He was also voted as a starter for the 2005 Coors Light ECHL All-Star Game where he stopped all 11 shots faced in the first period.

Minard began his professional career in 1996-97 with Wheeling of the ECHL and is playing his fifth season in the ECHL where he is 41-23-11 with five shutouts in 93 career regular season games. In his ninth professional season, Minard has also played in the NHL, the AHL, the International Hockey League, the Central Hockey League and the United Hockey League.

Runners Up: Peter Aubry, Alaska (2-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .946 save pct.), and Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, Greenville (2-0-0, 1.89 GAA, .950 save pct.).

Also Nominated: Trevor Koenig (Atlantic City), Jason Saal (Augusta), Alex Westlund (Charlotte), Tyler MacKay (Florida), Sean Fields (Gwinnett), Nathan Marsters (Louisiana), Phil Sauve (Mississippi), Frederic Cloutier (Pensacola), Alfie Michaud (Peoria), Barry Brust (Reading), Scott Fankhouser (Toledo), Chris Houle (Trenton) and Joe Exter (Wheeling).

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