Brian Foster
Year Inducted: 2018
Birthday: February 4, 1987
After starring at the University of New Hampshire, Foster played six years of pro hockey, including a one-game stint in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, and became the 11th goaltender in pro hockey history to get credit for scoring a goal.
Foster grew up in Pembroke, and played youth hockey with the Concord Capitals and junior with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, backstopping that team to the EJHL championship in 2004-05.
At UNH, which he attended on a full scholarship after playing one season in the USHL, Foster assumed the starting role as a junior in 2008-09 and posted a record of 19-11-4 despite struggling with an ankle injury.
He was strong down the stretch and finished with a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 35 games. He stopped 40 shots in a wild, 6-5 overtime win over North Dakota in the NCAA tournament, regarded as one of the most exciting games in UNH history, before the Wildcats fell a
day later to Boston University, 2-1, and saw their season end one win short of the Frozen Four.
The next year, he was one of just four seniors on team that captured the Hockey East regular-season championship. He finished with an overall record of 17-14-7 and recorded a GAA of 2.98 and a .908 save percentage, getting named a second-team All-America.
The following season, 2010-11, Foster began what would be a six-year professional career, splitting his campaign between Bossier-Shreveport in the Central Hockey League and the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he starred down the stretch, posting a 2.78 GAA and .918 save percentage in 19 games.
In 2011-12, Foster made his NHL debut with the Panthers on his 25th birthday, playing five minutes in relief of Scott Clemmensen against the Tampa Bay Lighting and stopping the one shot he faced.
In 2012-13, while playing for Cincinnati, he became the 11th pro goaltender to be credited a goal during a game between the Cyclones and the Trenton Titans.
After playing 45 games the next season for the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder, he signed to play with Lillehammer-IK in the Norwegian League, finishing with a 2.94 GAA and .904 save percentage in 43 games.
The next season, his final as a pro player, he returned to the States and split time between two Pittsburgh Penguins affiliates — the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He led Wheeling to a deep playoff run, posting a 3.02 GAA and .902 save percentage in 16 games as the Nailers reached the Kelly Cup finals.
Foster currently works as a goaltending instructor for GDS and is the goaltending coach at the University of New Hampshire.
