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Wildcatters' Yeats Named RBC Financial Group Saver Of The Month

April 6, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - Matt Yeats of the Texas Wildcatters is the RBC Financial Group ECHL Saver of the Month for March, becoming the first two-time winner of the award having won it for November.

Yeats, who turns 28 years old on Friday, was 8-2-0 with three shutouts, a 1.92 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in March while helping the Wildcatters clinch their first-ever Kelly Cup Playoffs berth and move into first place in the South Division. The Montreal, Quebec native had two four-game winning streaks during the month and is 32-17-2 in 58 games for the Wildcatters this season.

After posting his first shutout of the month making 12 saves in a 6-0 win at Utah on Mar. 3, Yeats stopped 19 of 22 shots for a 7-3 win at Phoenix on Mar. 6. He posted back-to-back identical 4-0 shutouts stopping 20 shots at Phoenix on Mar. 8 and 24 shots at Las Vegas on Mar. 9.

The 6-foot and 190-pound Yeats closed out the month with four straight wins over South Division rivals Gwinnett and Florida. He started and stopped 31 shots in a 2-1 win against Gwinnett on Mar. 23 and then came on in relief on Mar. 24 to stop 19 of 20 shots in a 4-3 win against the Gladiators. He made 29 saves in a 3-2 win against Florida on Mar. 30 before stopping 41 of 42 shots in a 4-1 win against the Everblades to claim the division lead.

He leads the ECHL with six shutouts and is second with 32 wins. He is 32-17-7 and is tied for 12th in save percentage at .912 and tied for 16th with a goals-against average of 2.91.

Selected in the ninth round (248th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1998 National Hockey Entry Draft, Yeats has played five games in the NHL going 1-3-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of .908 with the Washington Capitals in 2003-04. He recorded his NHL win on Mar. 30, 2004 when he made 27 saves in a 4-2 win against Pittsburgh. He has played in the ECHL each of the past three seasons and is 81-42-23 with 11 shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.95 and a save percentage of .902 in 152 regular season games with Atlantic City, Idaho, Reading and Texas. He has also played in the American Hockey League where he is 3-2-1 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 2.27 and a save percentage of .923 in nine games with Philadelphia and Portland from 2002-04.

Yeats played three seasons at the University of Maine where he was 44-23-11 with a goals-against average of 2.63 and a save percentage of .900 in 86 games from 1999-2002.

Runners Up: Bryan Bridges, Victoria (5-0-1, 1.62 GAA, .956 save pct.) and Derek Gustafson, Alaska (6-2-2, 2.15 GAA, .933 GAA).

Also Nominated: Dave McKee (Augusta), Jamie Hodson (Bakersfield), Alex Westlund (Charlotte), Terry Denike (Dayton), Craig Kowalski (Florida), Dave Caruso (Gwinnett), Steve Silverthorn (Idaho), Ryan Munce (Johnstown), Yutaka Fukufuji (Reading), Davis Parley (South Carolina), Logan Koopmans (Toledo), Gregg Naumenko (Trenton), Ben Gray (Utah) and Andy Franck (Wheeling).

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