Shannon Szabados Becomes First Female Goalie To Record Shutout In Men’s Pro Hockey

Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados walked into the records books on Saturday night while guarding the net with the Columbus Cottonmouths in the Southern Professional Hockey League. In a game against the Huntsville Havoc where the Cottonmouths won 3-0, Szabados recorded the first shutout ever performed by a female goalie in men’s professional hockey history. During the historic game, she made 33 saves to go along with the shutout.

In 12 games this year, she has earned a 3.58 goals against average and a .909 save percentage while between the pipes for the Cottonmouths. For her career in the SPHL, she has played 39 career games with a record of 18-16-4-1, with a .907 save percentage and 3.29 goals-against average. Before going professional, she was more stellar in international play with the Canadian woman’s hockey team, winning two gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

With this feat, women’s hockey is starting to take a rise with both the CWHL and NWHL becoming more of a spectacle to watch. Szabados is the primary goalie for her team and with her determination, she is nothing more but a solid goaltender who is not there just for the exposure.

Photo: Columbus, GA – MARCH 13: Shannon Szabados #40 of the Columbus Cottonmouths during warm ups at Columbus Civic Center on March 13, 2014 in Columbus, Georgia. The Pensacola Ice Flyers defeated the Columbus Cottonmouths 5-0. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)