MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota’s goaltending tandem of Nathan Airey and Liam Souliere was named to the 2025 Mike Richter Award Watch List, it was announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Wednesday. The two Golden Gophers are among 35 netminders up for the award, which is given annually to the top goalie in NCAA Division I men’s hockey since 2014.
 
Airey is off to a stellar start to his sophomore campaign and is one of only two NCAA goaltenders with more than 10 appearances to have dropped only a single game this season. A product of Cochrane, Alberta, he holds a 10-1-2 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, giving up two or fewer goals in seven of 13 outings. After picking up his first collegiate shutout against Michigan (Dec. 6) behind a career-best 32 saves, he was named the B1G Second Star of the Week, the first weekly award of his young tenure.
 
Souliere is having a career year since joining the Maroon and Gold this season and currently leads all Big Ten Conference goaltenders with a 1.59 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage that rank third and fifth in the nation, respectively. Last weekend, he stopped all six shots he saw in relief Friday before making a season-high 32 saves during Saturday’s 6-1 win to pick up the third B1G Star of the Week honor of his career and first since coming to Minnesota. The Montreal, Quebec, native has won four of his last five starts and recorded shutout victories over Penn State (Nov. 2), his first appearance versus his former team, and Michigan (Dec. 7) for the year.
 
Jack LaFontaine is the only representative of the Maroon and Gold to claim the Mike Richter Award when he won in 2021.
 

A committee of voters — made up of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately a dozen semifinalists within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose a winner from three finalists who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. Goalies qualified by meeting minimum goals-against average (<2.30) and=”” save=”” percentage=”” (=””>.920) standards.
 
Past Richter Award Recipients:
2014 – Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell
2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota
2016 – Thatcher Demko, Boston College
2017 – Tanner Jaillet, Denver
2018 – Cale Morris, Notre Dame
2019 – Cayden Primeau, Northeastern
2020 – Jeremy Swayman, Maine
2021 – Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
2022 – Devon Levi, Northeastern
2023 -Devon Levi, Northeastern
2024 – Kyle McLellan, Wisconsin2.30)>



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