Monday, March 8, 2010

Visentin Named Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that goaltender Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs is the Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 7, extending the streak to three straight weeks for a goaltender to claim the honour. Visentin helped the IceDogs’ playoff push with a 3-0-0-0 record and a goals-against-average of 1.30 and save percentage of .963.

The IceDogs picked up a critical six points in the standings against Eastern Conference opponents over the weekend beginning with a 2-1 shootout win over the Brampton Battalion on Thursday night. Visentin made 34 saves including 13 in the third period and stopped all three Battalion shooters to preserve the win as the game’s second star. On Saturday night his 40 saves earned him third star honours in a 4-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves in another critical Eastern Conference matchup. His week finished with first star honours Sunday in a 3-1 win over the Battalion with 29 saves. The IceDogs have now moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with 57 points with three games remaining. They sit one point behind the sixth place Peterborough Petes, and one point ahead of the eighth place Sudbury Wolves, and four points ahead of the ninth place Oshawa Generals.

Visentin, a 17-year-old from Waterdown, ON, is playing in his second OHL season with the IceDogs. Eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Visentin competed in the 2010 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and currently has a goals-against-average of 3.09 and a save percentage of .909 in 52 games this season.

Click here to watch video highlights of Niagara IceDogs' goaltender Mark Visentin courtesy of TVCogeco.

Also eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Austin Watson of the Peterborough Petes and Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s each receive honourable mention for the award this week. Both picked up nine points in three games with Watson scoring five goals and four assists, and Toffoli producing four goals and five assists. Goaltender Matt Hackett of the Plymouth Whalers also received consideration after winning two games in three starts earning two shutouts with a goals-against-average of 1.68 and save percentage of .941.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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