Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Ontario Hockey League announced the recipients of two of its annual goaltending awards.
The Dave Pinkney Trophy was awarded to Mark Visentin and Christopher Festarin of the Niagara IceDogs for the lowest team goals against average.
The IceDogs allowed the fewest goals in the OHL for the first time in franchise history with just 169 goals against in 2011-12. The tandem of Visentin and Festarini backstopped the IceDogs to their first Eastern Conference and Central Division title with a record of 47-18-0-3.
Visentin, 19, is a Phoenix Coyotes prospect who led the OHL with a GAA of 1.99, including 10 shutouts and a record of 30-9-0-2. Festarini, 18, was 15-6-0-0 with two shutouts and a 2.27 GAA. Jaroslav Pavelka and Mike Gallardi also suited up for the IceDogs during the season. Pavelka played seven games, while Gallardi played in two.
The 169-goal total is the lowest in the OHL since 2004-05 when the London Knights allowed just 125 goals. Last season, the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors won the trophy, allowing 170 goals against with J.P. Anderson and Mikael Audette in goal.
Meanwhile, the F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy for the rookie with the best GAA went to Daniel Altshuller of the Oshawa Generals. Altshuller led all rookie netminders with a GAA of 3.55. He became the third member of the Generals to win the award.
The trophy is named after F.W. “Dinty” Moore of Port Colborne, Ont., who served as OHA president from 1942-45. In order to qualify for this rookie award, a goaltender must play a minimum of 900 minutes.
Altshuller, a 17-year-old, is eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and was ranked as the No. 7 goalie by NHL Central Scouting in their midterm North American draft rankings. He finished the regular season with an 11-16-2-1 record and a .900 save percentage in 30 appearances.
The 2012 OHL Playoffs begin Thursday night with three Eastern Conference matchups including the IceDogs and the visiting Generals.
