Gardner named WHL Goalie of the Week for second time
Calgary, AB – Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner has been named WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending May 5th, 2024. The WHL announced the honour Monday afternoon.
This marks the second time Gardner’s captured the award this season. The first-year Blade has also been named WHL Rookie of the Week three times.
The 18-year-old went 2-2 through games 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, posting a 3.21 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in which three games went to overtime.
Gardner kicked off the week with a 29-save performance in a 3-1 Game 3 loss at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Tuesday, April 30th. The Fort St. John, BC native responded the following night with a win to help tie the series 2-2, stopping 33 of 37 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory.
The 6-foot-2 netminder made another 39 saves in Game 5 at SaskTel Centre on Friday, May 3rd to help Saskatoon win 5-4 in overtime. Gardner made several jaw-dropping stops to keep the Blades in the game, brining more than 11,000 fans at home to their feet throughout the night.
Gardner turned aside 31-of-35 shots in Game 6 on Sunday, May 5th in Moose Jaw, falling short in overtime 4-3.
Gardner is 10-3 in the postseason with a 2.26 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and one shutout.
The WHL Rookie of the Year nominee went 21-5-0-2 through the regular season, leading all WHL starting netminders with a 1.91 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and four clean sheets. Gardner is ranked seventh among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s final rankings ahead of June’s draft.
The WHL Eastern Conference Championship will be decided in Game 7 on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00pm SaskTel Centre. More than 10,000 ticket have already sold, get yours before it’s too late!