HERSHEY, Pa. — Hershey Bears goalie Hunter Shepard was named to the 2023-24 American Hockey League (AHL) First All-Star Team.
Shepard becomes just the sixth goalie in Bears franchise history to be awarded the distinction and the first player since Chris Bourque following the 2015-16 season.
Shepard is the AHL's leader in both goals against average (1.75) and save percentage (.929). He has only allowed three regulation losses this season, posting a record of 27-3-3 in his 33 appearances this season.
As of late, Shepard has been rolling into playoffs. In his last six games, Shepard has posted three of his five shutouts racked up this season.
"Shep just took it to a whole different level here the last couple of months," said Hershey Bears Head Coach Todd Nelson. "He's got three losses, three regulation losses, it's pretty incredible over the course of the season, so you know he's been that guy for us all year."
To Shepard's teammates, his dominant performances are as expected. However, they make sure to remind themselves to not take it for granted.
"A lot less stress for us in the back end, it's been a great year," said Aaron Ness, a defenseman for the Hershey Bears. "[Goalies are] the backbone, they're for the reason we've been successful night in and night out so we know they're gonna keep rolling and hopefully we can too."
For Shepard, it’s a feeling that is mutual.
"As a goalie, I think you don't get the personal stuff if you don't have your good players around you," said Shepard. "It's been a full team effort so you can go down the line. There's a lot of guys on this team that could and probably should have won."
He also has a mindset on the hardware that really matters... another Calder Cup.
"You won't let yourself down, stop doing or stop giving 100% because you don't want to let the rest of the guys down," said Shepard. "I think that's the mentality that we had last year and especially down the stretch this year. You're doing it for the rest of the guys, not for yourself."
The other five Hershey Bears goalies to receive AHL First All-Star Team honors include Nick Damore (1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46), Andre Gill (1966-67), Ron Hextall (1985-86), Wendall Young (1987-88) and Jean-Francois Labbe (1996-97).