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QUICK FIVE QUESTIONS: MAVERICKS GOALTENDER DOUG GROENESTEGE
The goalie was the first Maverick to win a Central Hockey League honor when he was named the Goaltender of the Week following 6-1 and 2-0 wins over the Wichita Thunder. The 25-year-old spent a few moments after a recent practice session to talk about his position and his team.
1. I was watching a recent practice session and all the players go to the center of the ice and stretch before practice starts. You were looking pretty limber out there – how do you do it? When you play in the goal, you have to be one of the loosest guys on the team – mentally and physically. Personality wise and from a physical standpoint, if you’re not loose you’re in trouble. It’s like your joints are cemented with elastic because you have to get in some pretty strange positions to stop the puck.
2. I Googled puck and mph and found out that most pucks come flying at the goalkeeper at speeds of more than 98 mph. Why would a sane man want to play that position? Who said I was sane? Believe me, you have to love the sport and love to be in goal to be a goalie in this league. The mental aspect is as important as the physical aspect. Some of the shot come in at 98 mph and you have about .05 of a second to respond. It’s a little bit faster than reacting to a pitch when you are in the batter’s box. You don’t have much time at all.
3. Is it dangerous to be in goal? No, not really. Goalkeepers actually have more padding than the players so the only place you can really get nicked is on the neck. So much of my success has to do with how the boys are playing. When the team is playing well, the goalkeeper is usually very thankful to his teammates.
4. You had a 2-0 shutout and a 6-1 win over Wichita and were named the league’s Oakley Award winner as the Goalkeeper of the Week. Was that special? Oh, you bet. To win the team’s first honor is very special. But like I was saying, the team played a big role in that honor. I don’t get a win or a shutout without my teammates playing great hockey.
5. How excited are you about Friday night’s opener? I couldn’t be any more excited. My parents, Fred and Shelley, are coming to Independence for the opener and I hear it’s close to a sell out so the barn will be hopping. And we want to give the fans something to cheer about. It’s out first game at home after playing nine of the road, and we don’t have the record (2-7) we were hoping for so we really want to come out and perform well Friday. If the barn is full and the fans are enjoying themselves and we get a win it will be a great night for everyone.
QUICK FIVE QUESTIONS: MAVERICKS GOALTENDER DOUG GROENESTEGE
The goalie was the first Maverick to win a Central Hockey League honor when he was named the Goaltender of the Week following 6-1 and 2-0 wins over the Wichita Thunder. The 25-year-old spent a few moments after a recent practice session to talk about his position and his team.
1. I was watching a recent practice session and all the players go to the center of the ice and stretch before practice starts. You were looking pretty limber out there – how do you do it? When you play in the goal, you have to be one of the loosest guys on the team – mentally and physically. Personality wise and from a physical standpoint, if you’re not loose you’re in trouble. It’s like your joints are cemented with elastic because you have to get in some pretty strange positions to stop the puck.
2. I Googled puck and mph and found out that most pucks come flying at the goalkeeper at speeds of more than 98 mph. Why would a sane man want to play that position? Who said I was sane? Believe me, you have to love the sport and love to be in goal to be a goalie in this league. The mental aspect is as important as the physical aspect. Some of the shot come in at 98 mph and you have about .05 of a second to respond. It’s a little bit faster than reacting to a pitch when you are in the batter’s box. You don’t have much time at all.
3. Is it dangerous to be in goal? No, not really. Goalkeepers actually have more padding than the players so the only place you can really get nicked is on the neck. So much of my success has to do with how the boys are playing. When the team is playing well, the goalkeeper is usually very thankful to his teammates.
4. You had a 2-0 shutout and a 6-1 win over Wichita and were named the league’s Oakley Award winner as the Goalkeeper of the Week. Was that special? Oh, you bet. To win the team’s first honor is very special. But like I was saying, the team played a big role in that honor. I don’t get a win or a shutout without my teammates playing great hockey.
5. How excited are you about Friday night’s opener? I couldn’t be any more excited. My parents, Fred and Shelley, are coming to Independence for the opener and I hear it’s close to a sell out so the barn will be hopping. And we want to give the fans something to cheer about. It’s out first game at home after playing nine of the road, and we don’t have the record (2-7) we were hoping for so we really want to come out and perform well Friday. If the barn is full and the fans are enjoying themselves and we get a win it will be a great night for everyone.
