Matthew Welsh Named Ultramar Player of the Week

January 7, 2019 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) News Release

Boucherville, QC - The latest Ultramar Player of the Week is Charlottetown Islanders goaltender Matthew Welsh. The 19-year-old from Halifax, N.S. went undefeated in three games last week while posting a goals against average of 1.33 and a sterling .961% save percentage.

On New Year's Eve in Saint John, Welsh stopped all 11 shots he faced in the game's opening period, part of a 26-save performance as the Islanders closed out 2018 with a 4-1 victory over the Sea Dogs. The fourth-year veteran was named the game's second star.

Welsh would go one step further at home on Saturday night. Facing the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, he would face 30 shots in the final two periods of the contest. None would find the back of the net as Welsh went on to make 37 stops and the Islanders emerged victorious by a score of 3-1. This time, he would be named first star for the contest.

Welsh would once again earn the game's first star on Sunday afternoon. He'd send the Charlottetown crowd home happy by turning aside 35 shots versus yet another divisional rival, the Moncton Wildcats. The 5-2 Islanders triumph was Welsh's 19th of the season, tied for third in the league amongst all netminders in that category, and vaulted his team into a tie with the Wildcats for fifth overall in the QMJHL standings.

Welsh currently holds a record of 19-8-1-1 on the season to go with a 2.99 GAA and .907% save percentage. He also has one shutout to his credit. Welsh, who now stands at 86 career regular-season victories, was a second-round selection of the Islanders in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft.

2018-19 Ultramar Player of the Week:

Week 1 | Sept. 20 - Sept. 23: Josh Lawrence (Sea Dogs | Saint John)

Week 2 | Sept. 24 - Sept. 30: Ivan Chekhovich (Drakkar | Baie-Comeau)

Week 3 | Oct. 1 - Oct. 7: Gabriel Bilodeau (Olympiques | Gatineau)

Week 4 | Oct. 8 - Oct. 14: Alexis Gravel (Mooseheads | Halifax)

Week 5 | Oct. 15 - Oct. 21: î=89mile Samson (Armada | Blainville-Boisbriand)

Week 6 | Oct. 22 - Oct. 28: Ivan Chekhovich (Drakkar | Baie-Comeau)

Week 7 | Oct. 29 - Nov. 4: Peter Abbandonato (Huskies | Rouyn-Noranda)

Week 8 | Nov. 5 - Nov. 11: Samuel Asselin (Mooseheads | Halifax)

Week 9 | Nov. 12 - Nov. 18: Peter Abbandonato (Huskies | Rouyn-Noranda)

Week 10 | Nov. 19 - Nov. 25: Joseph Veleno (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)

Week 11 | Nov. 26 - Dec. 2: Gregor MacLeod (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)

Week 12 | Dec. 3 - Dec. 9: Ivan Chekhovich (Drakkar | Baie-Comeau)

Week 13 | Dec. 10 - Dec. 16: Nicolas Guay (Voltigeurs | Drummondville)

Week 14 | Dec. 28 - Dec. 30: Yann-Félix Lapointe (Phoenix | Sherbrooke)

Week 15 | Dec. 31 - Jan. 6: Matthew Welsh (Islanders | Charlottetown)

Charlottetown Islanders goaltender Matthew Welsh

Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2019

• QMJHL Team of the Week Announced for Week 15 - QMJHL
• Make A Donation To The Players' Student Funds In Exchange For A Free Ticket To The January 14 Game - Gatineau Olympiques
• Darren Rumble Released as Head Coach of Moncton Wildcats - Moncton Wildcats
• Matthew Welsh Named Ultramar Player of the Week - QMJHL
• Sea Dogs 2018-2019 Trade Period Recap - Saint John Sea Dogs

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