PRINCETON, N.J. – Matt Underhill of the Alaska Aces is the RBC Financial Group ECHL Saver of the Month for December.

The 26-year-old won seven consecutive starts and finished the month with a record of 7-1-0. He had three shutouts, a 1.88 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage to help the Aces go 10-1-1 and remain in second place with 45 points in the West Division.

Selected in the sixth round (170th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and under contract to Peoria of the American Hockey League, Underhill began December making 25 saves for his first shutout of the year in a 5-0 win at Long Beach on Dec. 2. He stopped 91 of 93 shots in his next three games, including 27 in an 8-0 win at Victoria on Dec. 17, and earned his league-leading third shutout on Dec. 28, stopping all 19 shots in a 4-0 win against Victoria.

In his first full season with the Aces, the 6-foot-2 and 210-pound Underhill is 13-4-1 in and is second in the league with a 2.05 goals-against average and fourth in save percentage (.924) and wins (13).

In 2004-05, Underhill was 3-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage for the Aces while also playing for Mississippi where he was 13-8-3 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He also played with St. John’s and Providence of the AHL and was 1-2-1.

A native of Campbell River, British Columbia, Underhill appeared in one game with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League in 2003-04 and has a career record of 6-7-3 in 18 AHL games. He spent four years at Cornell University where he was 42-31-9 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912 in 88 career games. (2006-01-07)