December 31, 2008

Mayotte to Start ECHL All-Star Game

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- The Johnstown Chiefs, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets, and the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and Syracuse Crunch, announced today that former Union goalie Kris Mayotte was named a starter on the American Conference All-Star Team.

Mayotte, a Pittsburgh native, is tied for the league lead, and first in the American Conference, with 14 wins in 20 appearances. The third year pro has three wins in shootouts, also tied for the league lead, and ranks 10th in the ECHL with a 2.56 goal against average. Mayotte won his first six starts of the season, and earned ECHL Goalie of the Week honors for October 27 to November 2 after going 2-0-0 with a 1.92 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.

The Reading Royals, the City of Reading and the Sovereign Center will host the 17th Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 21, 2009 and the 12th Annual All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 20, 2009.

There are 11 rookies on the American Conference roster and 18 of the 21 players are making their first appearance in an ECHL All-Star Game.

There have been 46 players from the All-Star Game who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.

The starting lineups are determined in voting by American Conference coaches, team captains, media directors, broadcasters and media members. Coaches also submitted the top prospects from within their conference to determine the final roster with each of the nine teams having a representative.