The ECHL has announced that Trois-Rivieres Lions Goaltender Zachary Emond has been named Goalie of the Week for the final week of the regular season. Emond would lead the Lions into the Kelly Cup Playoff with back-to-back shutouts vs Worcester Railers, making 26 saves on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.
In three years in the ECHL, Emond has an 18-12-2 record with a 3.01 GAA, .901Sv%, and three shutouts as he’s spent time with the Orlando Solar Bears and Wichita Thunder prior to joining the Lions. In 17 games this season, he was 9-7-1 with a 2.81 GAA, .907Sv%, and three shutouts. Emond also spent 12 games with the San Jose Barracuda during the 2021-22 season, where he went 3-4-4 with a 4.48 GAA and .867Sv%. He is currently on a one-year AHL deal with the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.
After a strong finish to his season, it wouldn’t be a shock if he got the start in Game 1 of the Kelly Cup Playoffs vs Norfolk Admirals. Emond finished the regular season by winning four of his final five starts. The 23-year-old goaltender picked up the only win for the Lions against Norfolk, stopping 24 shots on November 24th in a 5-3 win. The Lions will have a tough decision on who backs Emond up, as both Strauss Mann and Joe Vrbetic have seen time in between the pipes recently. Emond was one of five goaltenders to make an appearance this year with the Lions.
