We Interrupt This Olympic Talk...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't matter what else happened in hockey today if a goalie scores and there's video evidence of it. HBIC is committed to goalie goals because of how awesome they are, and the young man to the left, Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Leo Henriquez, decided to elevate his game tonight against the Lincoln Stars in USHL action. The 18 year-old, Slovakian netminder played for his country at the World Junior Championship, and he's slated to suit up for the NCAA's University of New Hampshire Wildcats beginning in 2027. He's having an oustanding USHL season this year with Green Bay, but he may have made it all the more memorable with his outstanding effort tonight at home against Lincoln where he played a signficant role on both sides of the puck!

Henriquez entered the night with a 13-6-2 record with a 2.09 GAA - tops in the USHL - and a .923 save percentage. He can now add another "best" to that list because he might be the best fully-armoured player in the league when it comes to scoring goals!
With 2:08 remaining in the game and Lincoln down 2-0 to Green Bay, they opted to pull netminder William Prowse while trying to kill off a five-minute major assessed earlier in the period. If you're scratching your head as to why Lincoln would do something like that, I am as well since it makes no sense. In any case, Lincoln dumped the puck in and went for a line change only to see Leo Henriquez stop the dump-in behind his net, set his hands, and launch the puck down the ice and into the vacant net to make it 3-0 at 18:30 of the third period!

Just for good measure, Green Bay would add two more goals before the final whistle as the Gamblers defeated the Stars by a 5-0 score with Henriquez picking up a goal and a 21-save shutout. Even more impressive is that Henriquez shut out Lincoln last night in stopping all 22 shots he faced in the 2-0 Green Bay win. In total, Lincoln fired 43 shots on Henriquez and scored zero times while Henriquez recorded one goal on one shot this weekend! Not bad for the guy in pads!

As far as I can tell, this is the eighth time a USHL goaltender has been credited with a goal, but I can't say that those are the only eight goalies who accomplished the feat. I took a long look at the USHL record book tonight, and I cannot find any info on goaltenders who scored in league history. As it stands, Jared Rutledge was the first Green Bay Gambler netminder to be credited with a goal back in 2014, and Neate Sager noted in that linked article that Ryan Massa of the Fargo Force and Jon Gillies of the Indiana Ice may have been the goalies before Rutledge who scored in USHL history.

If that's the case, here is the updated USHL goalie goal list:

• Ryan Massa (FAR) at Green Bay Gamblers - May 2, 2010*
• Jon Gillies (IND) vs. Des Moines Buccaneers - April 14, 2012
• Jared Rutledge (GBG) vs. Youngstown Phantoms - Feb. 22, 2014
• Keith Petruzzelli (MUS) vs. Madison Capitols - Feb. 24, 2017
• Mikhail Berdin (SFS) vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks - Nov. 18, 2017
• Roman Durny (DMB) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede - Dec. 19, 2018
• Todd Scott (TCS) vs. Sioux Falls Stampede - March 20, 2021
• Leo Henriquez (GBG) vs. Lincoln Stars - Feb. 14, 2026
* denotes scored in Clark Cup Final playoff game

Officially, Green Bay is now +1 in goalie goals scored with Henriquez's marker tonight, and Green Bay is the only franchise to have two netminders be credited with goals in USHL history. Pretty cool!

I can't say that the list above is complete by any means, but I do know that Henriquez's Valentine's Day in 2026 will be one he won't forget any time soon thanks to his love of the game. How does one not be romantic about hockey with a storyline like that?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!