ST. LOUIS — Blues prospect Joel Hofer scored on Thursday night. You may be thinking, 'Ok, big deal'. Well, Hofer just happens to be a goaltender for the Springfield Thunderbirds.
While the Blues were wrapping up their first-round series in Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, their AHL affiliate in Springfield was facing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Playoff semifinals.
Hofer and the Thunderbirds had a 4-2 lead when the goalie settled the puck behind his own net, rifled it the length of the ice and found the back of the Penguins' net.
The Thunderbirds went on to beat the Penguins 6-2 and give the Thunderbirds a 2-0 lead in the series.
"I told myself 'Don't go for it', it's the playoffs and a big game, preserve the lead kind of thing. I obviously got the puck, handled it well and then had more time than I thought and I was just like, 'Screw it, go for it.'," Hofer told reporters after the game.
Hofer is just the 18th goalie in AHL history to score a goal and only the second to ever do it in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Blues picked Hofer with the 107th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft out of Winnipeg. Hofer did make two appearances for the big club this past season, going 1-1 with a goals against average of 3.07 and save percentage of .880.
It was a good night for the Blues in the NHL as well as the Thunderbirds back in the AHL.
The Blues eliminated the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to advance to the second round of the NHL Playoffs. The Blues will take on the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.
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