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Deep Dive #2 - Standout Goaltender Seasons in the SMJHL
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Raf_TMLSimmer Simmer
Goaltending can make or break the hopes and dreams of a hockey team. A team with the strongest offense and defense can be upended by poor goaltending. An incredible goaltender can backstop a mediocre team into superstardom. Here is a breakdown of some standout goaltending in the SMJHL over the past years. This list is only going to include goaltenders who played from season 53 onwards, as I cannot be bothered to go digging for comprehensive stats prior to that season.
Song Ju-gong | Quebec City Citadelles | S73-77 One of the most dominant goaltenders in recent seasons, Ju-gong led the league in wins for 3 straight seasons, S74-76. During this three season stretch, Ju-gong would have a combined total of only 25 losses, on top of having 12 shutouts. Ju-gong led the team to 3 consecutive deep playoff runs, however failing to win the championship until S76. These stats obviously were improved by the large amount of success that Quebec City as a whole was providing in front of him on the ice. Jeff Newman | Detroit Falcons | S67-70 Even in his rookie year, Jeff Newman had a heavy load put on him from his team. In the regular season of S67, Newman was in net for 58 games, had a record of 33-22-3, and had a .891 SV%. By any means, not the most spectacular stats, but also not bad for a rookie. However, in his second season, S68, he exploded for a 49-9-0 season, boasting a .910 SV%, and led the team to a championship. He continued this success into the next season, with a 40-15-3 record, however dropping to a career low .885 SV%. Detroit would be knocked out in the 3rd round of the playoffs. Olof Karsikko | Vancouver Whalers | S59-61 Karsikko had his standout season in S61, his final with the Whalers. Karsikko boasted a 42-10-3 record as well as a .913 SV% out of 55 games played. Vancouver would lead the league in the standings this season, as well as making a strong playoff winning run. Karsikko led the league in Wins, as well as in shutouts, of which he has 8. Cale Amundsen | Newfoundland Berserkers | S53-56 Amundsen had stand out years in Season 54 and 55. In season 54, Amundsen would go 28-10-3 on the year, helping Newfoundland lead the league in the standings. In the playoffs, Amundsen would go 7-6-1, with Newfoundland losing to Carolina in the second round. The next season, Amundsen would again lead Newfoundland to another 1st place finish in the regular season, with a 26-8-5 season record. Amundsen then led the team to a playoff victory, winning the cup after defeating Maine 4-2 in the finals. Amundsen would again lead the team to the finals in S56, but lost to the Whalers Each of these goaltenders had their standout seasons playing for strong teams, with deep runs into the playoffs. While goaltending in this league certainly has a certain amount of voodoo surrounding the luck of a tender, it goes to show that if you can get the sim on your side, a good goalie can help push any team to greatness. Who knows, maybe next season a goaltender can help push a middling team all the way to the playoffs. (540 words) ![[Image: Raf_TML.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Raf_TML.gif) Thanks GabeyD, Moosey, and Vice for the sigs!
Florence Amélie Mackenzie | Vancouver Whalers | Player Page
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