It didn’t take Josh Maser long to net his first goal as a professional hockey player.
And he did it in typical Maser fashion, creating havoc in front of the net, just long enough to deflect a point shot from Iowa Wild defenceman Ian McCoshen in past Stars goalie Tomas Sholl.
It stood as the game-winning goal for the Wild in what ended up a 4-1 American Hockey League victory of the Texas Stars Saturday night in front of 3,108 spectators at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Maser, a 21-year-old from Houston, was playing his first game since the Prince George Cougars’ season ended last March. He captained the Cougars in his final season of junior eligibility and signed as a free agent this summer with Iowa, the top farm team of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
Maser didn’t know he was playing Saturday until only a few hours before the game, when he was penciled into the lineup to replace an injured Wild player.
“It was just about a year ago since I played last and it was bit weird, said Maser. “When coach (Tim Army) told me I was playing I was a bit nervous but there’s guys on the team who helped me out with the systems and what I had to do to make sure I was ready to go and it was awesome.
“We were tied 1-1 in the second period and I just wanted to get to the net and do what I can to help us get a win. I love going to the net to get to those rebounds. Ian McCoshen’s shot got through everyone and I was just kind of standing there and directed it off my body. It wasn’t a pretty one, but most of my goals aren’t pretty.”
Maser’s goal, 16:38 into the second period, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead over the Stars and they added two more goals in the third period to cinch their first win of the AHL season. He had two shots on goal and was picked as the game’s first star.
Now he knows the drill, Maser says he’ll be better prepared if he’s in the lineup when the same teams meet again today 4 p.m. PT.
“Once you’ve finally got a game in and you see how everyone is, just getting ready with them to go into battle, that always helps,” said Maser. “It was definitely good to get out there and the goal was extra. I’m just happy we got the win.”
Two former WHL stars – defenceman Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes) and forward Adam Beckman (Spokane Chiefs) – are now Maser’s Wild teammates. Former Cougar defenceman Max Martin is a rookie with Texas this season but did not play on the weekend. The Stars beat the Wild 8-4 in Friday’s season-opener.
The Wild had one week of informal ice times before a week of training camp drills and then they got down to a practice routine in the week leading up to their first games.
“I knew it was a big week for me just because the coaches had never seen me play before,” said Maser. They obviously know what I can bring to the table but in games I find I’m the most effective.
“During games I just get so competitive and want to win so much, it’s a lot different than practice. You can go out there and be mean to the guys on the other team and hit them as hard as you want. Once you get out there playing against another team, there’s no friends out there.”
Maser is still living in a hotel along with several players and so far nobody on the team has become infected with COVID. They’ve been told to avoid large gatherings or going into public places or restaurants.
“We’ve been keeping a pretty low profile here and we’re just focused on the hockey part of it,” said Maser. “There were a couple of scares but thankfully nobody’s been sick. We’ve had a healthy lineup and guys are getting called up to Minnesota, which is awesome for them.
“Once you’re here and guys are getting called up all the time, Minnesota is only three hours away from us, so it’s just down the road and you realize how close the NHL level is from here. That’s why it’s such a tough league because everyone knows how close it is to the NHL and everyone wants to get there eventually. It’s a tough grind.”
Today’s game is available on a free-preview webcast on AHL TV starting at 4 p.m. PT. Maser knows his family and friends in Houston, three hours west of Prince George, will be watching.
The rink in Des Moines has a capacity of 16,100 but during the pandemic crowds sizes will be capped at 4,500. Maser said the Wild and Stars are among the few AHL teams whose states are allowing fan attendance.
“Even though there wasn’t a whole lot of people there it was an awesome feeling hearing the crowd,” said Maser. “We have some really passionate fans here so that’s always a bonus.”
