WAKEFIELD, Mass. – UMass Lowell freshman goaltender
Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) has been named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week following a stellar collegiate debut on December 13 at UConn.
Welsch turned in a complete-game performance in net for the River Hawks' first win of the season, a 2-1 victory against the Huskies last week. In that contest, he turned away 31 shots for a .969 save percentage.
With that performance, Welsch becomes the first UMass Lowell goalie to win his collegiate debut since
Brian Robbins beat Minnesota State, 4-2, on October 14, 2011. The 31 saves also goes down in the program's Division I record books as the most stops in a winning debut.
Welsch was also tabbed River Hawk of the Week for his efforts. The "River Hawk of the Week" is chosen in voting by the UMass Lowell Athletic Communications staff. It honors the top athlete, male or female, based on performance during the previous week of competition.
