In his Lake Erie Monster debut, Avalanche backup goaltender Reto Berra became the 11th goalie in AHL history to score a goal with an empty-netter late in a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Friday. Berra is just the seventh netminder to actually shoot the puck into the net in the league’s 79-year history.
With the goalie pulled and about 90 seconds left in the game, the Wolves dumped the puck in on Berra, who quickly played the puck to his stick and launched the puck over everyone on the ice’s head before it landed and glided perfectly into the dead center of the gaping net. Berra – who was naturally very excited – skated by the Monsters’ bench to collect high-fives. The jubilant celebration drew the ire of Wolves players and coaches.
ESPN’s SportsCenter rewarded Berra with the number three spot on Friday’s Top 10 plays.
Berra – who was sent down to Lake Erie on a conditioning assignment on Jan. 10 – also turned aside 20-of-21 shots in the contest.
The Avalanche hope that the Lake Erie stint will help turn around what has been a disappointing first full season with the club for Berra. After signing a three-year deal over the offseason, the 28-year-old has registered a 3.57 goals-against average with a .882 save percentage in 10 NHL games this season.