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*takethehorizon* · 12-23-2019, 04:12 PM

(this is my first article)

My Rookie Backup-Tendy Experience

My name is Cillian Kavanagh and I am the backup goaltender for the Kelowna Knights in the SMJHL.

I come from a small town just outside of Dublin, Ireland and have been stopping pucks ever since I could learn how to walk. I have played in various junior leagues throughout my youth, improving my game every step of the way. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the SHL one day as a scoured the internet for a chance to make a name for myself. I immediately joined and became quickly overwhelmed with information regarding my career. Fortunately, I was greeted by various league members such as @CementHands that made my transition into the league much easier on me and my family.

Once signups were completed I began to explore the league, doing my due diligence examining teams and their history. It wasn’t long after this that teams began reaching out to me offering contracts to play for their various organizations. I was confounded by this and started to begin an elimination process. No one before had expressed interest in me quite like this. This is when I knew that this league was right for me.

Unfortunately, I came into Season 51 at the halfway mark which seemed to put me at a bit of a disadvantage. I have yet to let this discourage me going forward as I know I would be a solid addition to any team. As the offers came through one in particular stood out to me; Kelowna. @NJBadApple reached out to me on behalf of the Knights organization and I immediately thought this was something special.

Fast forward to the end of my first ‘half’ season in the books and I couldn’t be more excited with my decision to join Kelowna. I was welcomed with open arms by all in the locker room (Discord) and have enjoyed my time here thus far. I am currently backing up one of the top goaltenders in the league, Luca Del Vecchio. I have evolved my game tremendously playing under him and if he does get called up next year to West Kendall I wish him the best.

My before game rituals have always been the same since my time in juniors. My mom makes me her famous chicken parmesan with asparagus. She also drives me to the rink and back. A goaltender’s head is a fragile and important piece of playing well. I need to stay focused at all times as I prepare for the challenge ahead. During warmups I split time with Del Vecchio, taking shots and breakaway attempts. I try to watch the opponent warm up and take mental notes of what skill sets and abilities my opponent will be bringing in game. While backing up Del Vecchio I have one of the more important jobs on the team during the game; opening and closing the bench door. We can get into the science of bench management later, but I digress.

After the game’s conclusion I take each piece of equipment off in the same order, in the same way, every time. Some of the boys and I enjoy grabbing a quick drink at Paddy’s bar which is right down the road from the rink depending on the result of the game. I share my location with mom so she’ll know where to pick me up whether it’s at the rink or at the bar. Many people ask me if I have heard of Uber. I have, I just prefer not to, especially when training costs me $500k a week which dad pays for. Money that I make in the league needs to be spent wisely. Goalie equipment is no different than training in that it costs absurd amounts of money, but is well worth it. I will always strive to make sure I am well prepared to help my team win.

We finished the season sitting in 5th place, just one point ahead of St. Louis. I finished the season going 1-2-1 through 5 games played and a .840 save percentage. It was a bit of rocky road in my first season but I look to take what I learned and apply it to next year. Without getting ahead of myself, let’s talk playoffs.

Playoffs begin in just a few short days and I am looking forward to my first SMJHL playoff experience. Playoffs are also a mind game of their own. It’s important that we play our game and block out all of the other distractions. Media will be persistent, especially looking to speak to me, the backup. I will stay focused. This year’s SMJHL talent has been off the charts so I am expecting a challenging opponent. We received a bye for the first round of the playoffs thanks to the extra point we had up over St. Louis. We are selected to play the Lethbridge Lions in round 2.

The Lethbridge Lions are led by Delver Fudgeson who finished with 12 goals and 33 assists on the season leading the team. Fudgeson has an unreal snap shot that he doesn’t utilize nearly enough that I will be on the lookout for. Delver knows where his teammates are on the ice at all times and his assist numbers clearly show this. The Lions proved better than us through 5 games this season earning a record of 3-2 against us. Our dedicated coaching staff has compiled video during those games to help coach us in areas where we could perform better. Markus Tegernako is their starting goaltender and he finished S51 with a record of 18-17-4. The Lion’s backup, Steven Vassallo notched a better a better save percentage in his 15 games played so there is a chance we may see him in net to start a game during the round.

The comradery in the locker room has been great. All of us are united under a common goal and I couldn’t have found better teammates anywhere else. We’re ready to compete and we came here to win. Many look at us coming off a rebuilding season and may not think much but we’re here to shut that opinion down. From atop to the organization all the way to the backup goaltender, we’re ready to compete and win the Four Star Cup. Let’s go Knights!

-Cillian Kavanagh