Goalie Saturday!

It doesn't happen often that this blog has all sorts of goalie news to report on one day. Occasionally, there will be a story that needs highlighting that involved a goaltender, but how often is it that you see multiple great stories about goalies that occur on one night? As you know, there aren't a ton of goaltending spots available on teams at higher levels of hockey, so the stars aligned on this night to give us a handful of great stories that should make you smile. I know I was smiling as I wrote this article about these amazing puck-stoppers who deserve some spotlight for their efforts.

Let's start in the NHL where the Toronto Maple Leafs ran into a little salary cap trouble after goaltender Petr Mrazek was injured. The Leafs needed a goaltender to fulfill their "two netminders per game" requirement, so they were forced to sign their EBUG (emergency back-up goalie) Alex Bishop to an ATO (amateur tryout) contract!

Bishop is a goaltender with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team who often fills in as the EBUG at the ACC. The 24 year-old was 19-5-0 in 2019-20 with a 2.41 GAA and a .922 save percentage while stopping pucks for the UofT, so he's got some definite skill. He was a bit of a journeyman backup netminder in the QMJHL before getting to Toronto, but it seems he's found a home as the starting netminder for the OUA's Varsity Blues.

Of course, that all changed when they handed him his official Maple Leafs jersey with #70 on the back, and Bishop wrote his name into goaltending lore alongsie the likes of Dustin Butler and Byron Spriggs as U SPORTS netminders who have served as backups in the NHL. While he didn't get a chance to play like David Ayres or Scott Foster did, Bishop will be on the scoresheet as part of the roster tonight when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators by a 3-1 score. He won't get credit with the win, but the memories he'll take away from this ay with the press conference and the contract signing and the whole night of professional hockey experiences are worth every second of sitting at the end of the bench!

Congratulations to Alex Bishop, the newest former NHL goalie to play U SPORTS hockey!

Goalie Goals Are Awesome

You probably don't know Dawson Green, but he's a goaltender for the Winnipeg Blues who play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). Most teams are ten games into the season already, so it should be noted that the Winnipeg Blues were 8-1-0 this season prior to tonight's game against the Selkirk Steeler who entered tonight's action at 3-5-1.

The only reason I noted those standings is to show that it's shouldn't surprise anyone that the East Division-leading Blues shutout the East Division's fourth-place team in the Selkirk Steelers tonight by a 3-0 score. What should surprise everyone, though, is who recorded the shutout along with scoring the third goal of the game!

Since the MJHL doesn't keep any records of goalie goals on its online record book, I can't tell you the history of any other goalies who have lit the lamp in the MJHL. That would also include any records of a goaltender who scored a goal and recorded a shutout in the same game like Dawson Green did tonight, but the number can't be any more than the number of fingers on one hand for either statistic.

Congratulations to Dawson Green of the Winnipeg Blues as he moves to 9-0-0 this season to go along with one goal on the season as the highest scoring netminder in the MJHL so far this season!

She's A Winner

I made a big deal about Ève Gascon was recalled to the Gatineau Olympiques this season, but it was noted how she was the first female goalie to record a win in men's college hockey in Quebec. Let it be known that there's another woman playing men's college hockey this season of whom you should be aware. The BCIHL - the league that Trinity Western's men's team previously dominated - doesn't get a lot of press on this blog because of my commitment to Canada West, but I'm going to draw attention to Simon Fraser University because this is where the story is happening.

This young lady is Kayla Munro who previously suited up with the University of Syracuse in the NCAA. She's originally from BC, so her returning home in the pandemic made sense in terms of safety. Kayla suited up with the Fraser Valley Rush in midget-aged hockey before making the jump to the JWHL with the Pacific Steelers where Syracuse recruited her. It should also be noted she played for her province at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta and, thanks to her Metis heritage, represented BC at the 2019 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships. Needless to say, she's a pretty good puck-stopper.

Kayla started the preseason BCIHL game tonight for Simon Fraser University against the Okanagan Lakers, and this marked the first time that a woman had started a game in the BCIHL! She stopped 13 of 14 shots in her time in the paint tonight as she was relieved by tandem partner Cale Dolan, and he'd help Simon Fraser earn a shootout win over Okanagan by a 3-2 score! While she wasn't the goalie of record in this game, it's very likely she's going to be on Simon Fraser's roster this season, so she could join a very short list of female goalies who helped a men's university team to victory!

As I thought back on this, the only names that came to mind were Lesley Reddon and Kim St-Pierre. It was St-Pierre who played with the McGill men's squad in 2003-04, but she is the first female goalie credited with a win in men's university hockey after she backstopped McGill to a 5-2 victory over Ryerson at McConnell Arena on November 15, 2003. She would lose to Guelph on November 29, 2003 to also become the first woman to record a loss in men's university hockey, but that 1-1-0 record she compiled that season is filled with history. Kayla Munro could write that history out in the BCIHL and for Simon Fraser University, so I'm excited to see how she does this season!

There are three great goalie stories for a Saturday night, and I'm happy to report that The Rundown will return tomorrow with the first week of Canada West hockey being completed this evening! There's lots to go over, so make sure you drop by tomorrow!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!