Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) definitely made his first American Hockey League start one for his personal scrapbook.
The Cohasset, Minn. native and Grand Rapids High School alumnus stopped all 28 shots and six power plays he faced on Sunday afternoon, as the Hershey Bears blanked the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 2-0, in an AHL game that was shown live on NHL Network.
The undrafted Shepard, 25, began his pro career this season with South Carolina (ECHL), where he went 6-5-2 with a 2.84 goals-against average in 14 appearances. He had originally signed a pro contract with Hershey in June.
The 6-foot-1 Shepard backstopped Minnesota-Duluth for three consecutive seasons, the last as a team captain, from 2017 to 2020. He twice earned All-America accolades and NCHC Goaltender of the Year recognition, once each as sophomore and a junior.
In 119 career games at UMD, Shepard finished 76-37-5 with a 1.94 GAA and 17 shutouts, and also set a new NCAA record for most consecutive starts (105) by a goaltender. He also backstopped the Bulldogs to national titles in 2018 and 2019, and was poised to do so again last year before the college hockey season was canceled by COVID-19.
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