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4/6/03- Al
Montoya Answers the Call
Wolverines fans saw
one of the great goaltending performances in the storied history of
Michigan hockey last Saturday. Michigan netminder Al Montoya
turned away 34 out of 35 shots while leading the Wolverines to a 2-1
victory of over Maine in the first game of the NCAA Tournament.
Under the
resurgence of Michigan hockey under Coach Red Berenson Wolverines
fans have seen some truly great goaltenders. Steve Shields,
Marty Turco, Josh Blackburn- names that evoke great memories for the
Wolverine faithful.
Montoya's
performance versus Maine stacks up against any other Michigan
goaltender in recent memory. Since taking his place between
the pipes for Michigan, Montoya had showed great potential.
But he hadn't showed the spark that truly great goalies possess.
The Wolverines had showed a bad tendency to lose focus in the third
period season. While Montoya can't take the all of the blame
for these collapses, you never had the sense that he possessed the
power to stop these slides once they began. Against Maine that
all changed...
The great ones have it...
There's a certain swagger that the great goalies have. It
says, "Hey guys- nothing is getting past me..." The attitude
is a salve for his team when it can't get a break in the offensive
zone. It's corrosive for the opposing team. When a
goalie plays as well as Montoya did the opposing team starts to
think they'll never score.
With every glove save, every blocked shot, every stick save, Al
Montoya grew in the mind of the opposing players. While the
Wolverines couldn't buy a goal in the offensive end Montoya carried
his teammates on his back for 56 minutes until Maine finally scored
to tie the game. His teammates scored a few minutes later to
secure the 2-1 victory and send the Wolverine to the Frozen Four.
Conclusion
Montoya's
performance help vault the Wolverines into the Frozen Four. He
was the difference in the game versus Maine. Are the
Wolverines good enough to win the National Championship?
Hopefully. Surely the friendly confines of Yost Arena and a
boisterous crowd helped the Wolverine dispatch their first and
second round opponents. These advantages will not exist in the
Frozen Four.
No matter what happens
in the Frozen Four, the Wolverines
have found themselves a goalie with great potential. If
Montoya can turn in two more stellar performances the Wolverines
will be tough to beat!!
Go Blue!
Phil
Callihan
UMGoBlue.COM, Editor-in-Chief
phil@umgoblue.com
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Phil Callihan is the Editor-in- Chief of
UMGoBlue.COM. Phil graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1993 and has been a football season ticket holder since 1994.
Full Bio
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