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| Garland Earns Spot on Media All-Star Team | ||
| RIGA, Latvia – U.S. goaltender Cal Petersen (Waterloo, Iowa/LA Kings) was named Best Goaltender and forward Conor Garland (Scituate, Mass.) gained a spot on the Media All-Star Teamof the 2021 IIHF Men’s World Championship. The duo helped Team USA to an 8-0-0-2 record (W-OTW-OTL-L), capped off with a 6-1 victory earlier today in the bronze-medal game. Petersen becomes the fourth-ever U.S. player to earn Best Goaltender honors and eighth-ever U.S. player to earn a directorate honor while Garland becomes the fifth-ever U.S. player named to the Media All-Star Team. ABOUT PETERSEN Petersen, who skated the 2020-21 season with the LA Kings, was also named one of Team USA’s top three players of the world championship after finishing the event with a 5-2 (W-L) record, 1.29 goals-against-average and .953 save percentage In seven games, he registered two shutouts and also allowed one goal twice. Of those seven games, he started all three U.S. playoff tilts and registered two wins, a 1.68 GAA and a .947 SV% as the U.S. captured its second medal in three years and its fourth medal in eight years (bronze: 2013, 2015, 2018, 2021).Petersen’s performance in goal ranks among the best-ever by a U.S. netminder. His goals-against-average ranks second-best ever by a U.S. goaltender in a single IIHF Men’s World Championship and trails only the 1.13 GAA effort by Ed Maki in 1939. In addition, his two shutouts is tied with six others for fifth-best in U.S. tournament history.In addition, he and fellow U.S. goaltenders Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) and Anthony Stolarz (Edison, N.J.) combined to allow just eight goals through preliminary round play, the lowest a U.S. team has allowed since the tournament was reformatted in 2012. The prior U.S. record for fewest goals allowed in the current tournament format was 14 (2015, 2017). ABOUT GARLAND Garland, who just completed his third season with the Arizona Coyotes, was named a Media All-Star after registering 13 points (6g, 7a) in 10 games. Team USA’s leader in points (13), goals (6) and assists (7), Garland ranked ranked second in the tournament both points (13) and assists (7) while his six goals tied him for second-most of any player in the field. On four occasions, the Scituate, Mass. Native registered multi-point efforts, including a three-point outing (1g, 2a) in the 6-1 bronze-medal win over Germany, and was tabbed U.S. Player of the Game after a two-goal effort in the 4-2 preliminary-round win over Italy. Garland becomes the fifth U.S. player named to the Media All-Star Team after Patrick Kane (forward, 2018), Connor Hellebuyck(goaltender, 2015), Seth Jones (defenseman, 2014) and Carl Wetzel (goaltender, 1967). (NHL.com photo) |
