Go with the hot guy.
When hockey coaches are deciding which goaltender to start on any given night, it's a good rule to follow. Right now, the Prince George Cougars have a goalie who's radiating such heat, it's a wonder he's not melting the ice in his crease.
This stopper, as followers of the Cats will know, is Ty Edmonds. For the week ending Oct. 6, he was named goaltender of the week in the Canadian Hockey League. The CHL includes the Western Hockey League and the major-junior circuits in Ontario and Quebec. Total membership sits at 60 teams. That means Edmonds -- a 17-year-old rookie from Winnipeg -- beat out 119 other goalies for the CHL honour.
In three games last week, Edmonds had a pair of shutouts (2-0 vs. the Victoria Royals, 3-0 vs. the Kamloops Blazers) and was the goaltender of record in a 1-0 loss to the Royals. In total, he faced 82 shots and made 81 saves. For the week, his goals-against average was 0.34 and his save percentage was a scintillating .988. On the season, Edmonds ranks third in the WHL in both goals-against average (1.68) and save percentage (.939) and owns a 4-1 record.
So yeah, he's cooking right now and will almost certainly get the start when the Cougars clash with the Everett Silvertips tonight at CN Centre.
Obviously, Edmonds has earned his time in the spotlight.
But let's throw out another name.
Brett Zarowny.
Remember him?
If not, here's a little refresher. Zarowny's the man who was projected to get the bulk of the work in the Cougars' nets this season. The 18-year-old has struggled mightily so far (0-3 record, 6.95 goals-against average, .811 save percentage) but he's too talented to be out of form for long.
And that bodes well for the Cats. Just imagine when Edmonds and Zarowny are both playing to their potential and pushing each other for starting assignments. When that happens, the Cougars will have one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.
How good can Zarowny be? Well, consider this: last December, as a 17-year-old WHL rookie, he was the recipient of a CHL goaltender of the week award.
Sounds familiar, right?
Zarowny's numbers were even similar to those Edmonds just posted. For the week ending Dec. 16, 2012, Zarowny had a goals-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .968. In his three starts, he picked up two wins, including one by shutout. He began his week with a 2-0 loss to the Swift Current Broncos and then recorded back-to-back victories against the Vancouver Giants, 6-0 and 2-1.
For goalies, confidence is oh-so important and Zarowny just needs to get his back. When he does -- and assuming Edmonds keeps his own level of play high -- Cougars bench boss Mark Holick will have tough decisions to make on game nights.
Without a doubt, he's looking forward to having that problem.
