Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen has been named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending April 14, 2024, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
This is the third time the 17-year-old has won the award, in addition to a Kal Tire Rookie of the Week win in December and WHL Goaltender of the Month honours for November.
Ravensbergen led all WHL goaltenders with a perfect 2-0-0-0 record and two shutouts, stopping all 37 shots he faced in Prince George’s second-round series against the Kelowna Rockets.
The rookie netminder got the start on April 12 in Game 1 against the Rockets. With Prince George leading 1-0 in the second frame, Ravensbergen made a sharp stop on Ethan Neutens as the Kelowna forward hacked away at the puck in the crease. His finest moment came at the end of the second period as the Rockets furiously pushed up to the buzzer on a powerplay. The Cougars would seize a 4-0 win in Game 1, with Ravenbergen’s clean sheet marking Prince George’s first playoff shutout since Scott Bowles made 39 saves in a 2-0 win over Vancouver on March 25, 2006. Ravensbergen was named first star of the night.
The following night, Ravensbergen stayed sharp with a cross-crease stop on top Kelowna rookie Hiroki Gojsic and a toe save to deny Dylan Wightman early in the game. The North Vancouver, B.C. product turned aside all 16 shots he faced in a 5-0 win, posting the first-ever back-to-back playoff shutouts for Prince George.
Ravensbergen is 5-0-0-0 in the 2024 WHL Playoffs with a 1.40 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and two shutouts.
He leads all starting netminders in all three major statistical categories.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound netminder is coming off a stellar regular-season campaign that saw him post a 26-4-1-1- record, a 2.64 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. He also led all WHL netminders with six shutouts, tying the league record for most shutouts by a rookie.
The Cougars and Rockets take their battle to Prospera Place in Kelowna for a Game 3 showdown on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:05 p.m. PST.