Hershey adds Goalie Nolan Schaefer to the Roster

Photo by John C. Whitehead/The Patriot-News.

The good news this week was that Braden Holtby is healthy again. The bad news was that Semyon Varlamov is not and so the Caps called up Holtby to back up Michal Neuvirth.

Still equipped with two ECHL goalies in Hershey, the Bears added a little security by adding Nolan Schaefer to the roster. Schaefer played for the Providence Bruins this season and was loaned by the Boston Bruins to the Bears. You may remember Schaefer from his three appearances as a Bear during the 2006-2007 season.

So far this season, Schaefer has been averaging a .897 save percentage and 3.11 goals allowed. For comparison’s sake, Todd Ford is currently averaging .884 save percentage and 3.04 goals allowed. However, Schaefer has much more experience in the AHL as well as a season in the KHL.

In both meetings of Hershey versus Providence this season, Schaefer was in goal. He won the first meeting, stopping 26 of 27 shots. He had a fantastic game and earned the #1 star. In the second game, he had a rougher performance, allowing four goals on thirteen shots. This was the same game that Jared DeMichiel earned his first AHL win.

Schaefer will wear #31 and is likely to play sometime this weekend. For more information (including quotes from Schaefer and Mark French), check out Tim Leone’s story on the Patriot-News site. While this move is not likely to be a game changer for Hershey’s season, it does give the team a little room to breathe.