For the second time this season, senior goaltender Craig Pantano of the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team has been named Fuddruckers Male Athlete of the Week.
Pantano, who was also recognized by Hockey East as the league's Player of the Week, finished with a career-high 42 saves and moved into a tie for second place in the country with his fourth shutout of the season and fifth of his career after blanking the 11th-ranked Huskies on Saturday. Northeastern, which boasted a top-10 offense nationwide, was riding a nation-best eight-game winning streak coming into the game. The 40-save performance was the first by any Merrimack goaltender since former Warrior and current Chicago Blackhawk Collin Delia '17, who had 40 at Notre Dame on Jan. 16, 2016.
On the year, the Bridgewater, Massachusetts, native has started 16-of-18 games with a 3.26 goals against average and .893 save percentage. He has five 30-plus-save performances and is 4-1-0 in those starts.
Pantano and the rest of the Warriors turn their sights next to the University of Michigan in the final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday (Jan. 8) night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
