The First

Mike Smith is still a darn good goalie. He has struggled this season, but the Coyotes have struggled as well. He was an Olympian, and he has shown flashes of brilliance this season. The image to the left is one that opposing teams should still be wary of when Mike Smith is tending the net because he's a pretty decent goal-scorer. In saying that, Smith actually holds a pretty distinctive record in the ECHL that will be tough to match. It involves a goal and some goaltending stats that, when mixed together, are a pretty impressive feat!

We have to go all the way back to October 26th, 2002 for this record. Mike Smith was playing in the ECHL for the Lexington Men O'War, and was starting his first ECHL game on the date in question. The opposition that day was the Dayton Bombers, and the game was a closely-contested affair!

Lexington was leading 1-0 late in the third period when the puck was sent behind Smith's net. Dayton pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. Smith retrieved the puck, flipped the puck high over the players on the ice where it landed near center ice, and continued to slide the length of the ice where it came to rest in the Dayton net.

So what records did Smith set with that goal? He became the youngest goaltender to score a goal in a professional game with that goal as he was just 20 years of age. He became the first goaltender in history to score a goal, record a shutout, and earn his first professional win in his first professional game. In other words, that was a pretty significant goal that Smith scored on October 26th, 2002 as he set a number of firsts!

Smith has scored other goals, but this one will go down in history. And it happened with one of the best-named teams in hockey history with the Lexington Men O'War!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!