The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Shane Frederick

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October 13, 2009

MSU fearless at blocking shots

The word courage is often overused in sports coverage.

Games are just that — games. They’re not life or death. They’re not wars. They’re not played in burning buildings.

But every once in awhile, you see a play in a sporting event that conjures up something very close to courage.

Don’t want to use that word? Fine. Call it guts, nerves, grit or mettle. Call it gumption, heart, starch or backbone.

When it comes to athletics, few plays require more of that trait than blocking a shot in hockey. The impulse to put oneself in front of a frozen hunk of rubber flying at 80 or 90 mph or faster certainly requires something that few regular folks seem to have.

Even with a uniform of armor: hard-plastic shin guards a chest protector and a helmet with shield or a cage, laying down one’s body in front of a shot is not for the semi-tough.

Minnesota State coach Troy Jutting has often praised opponents who block a lot of shots. Wisconsin’s good at it, even practices it. Badgers assistant coach Mark Osiecki was known as one of the best shot blockers in college hockey when he was a player there in the late 1980s.

Jutting admits that he didn’t exactly have that reputation back in his playing days at MSU, but all of a sudden, his Mavericks have the look of a shot-blocking team.

In Minnesota State’s season-opening series against Bowling Green last weekend, Minnesota State was credited with 27 blocks in the two victories.

Jutting said there’s been no philosophical change when it comes to defense or penalty killing. Instead, it’s the Maverick players who have led the charge.

“I give credit to Rylan (Galiardi),” Jutting said of his junior forward. “Rylan does it and does it very well. I think it’s becoming contagious a little bit. He’s done a great job.”

Jutting mentioned Galiardi and junior defenseman Channing Boe but said the list is growing and has been since last season when the two became staples on the penalty kill.

“They’ve led the way with it to where it’s something we do now,” he said.

While shot blocking requires that certain something, Jutting also boiled blocked shots down to simple statistics:

“If a goalie is 90 percent (save percentage), then every shot you stop is a goal,” he said. “If we blocked 27 shots, that’s over 2 1/2 goals.”

Indeed, first-time goalies Austin Lee and Kevin Murdock didn’t see a lot of pucks over the weekend. But they’re the ones wearing the loveseat-sized shin pads and other heavy gear virtually designed to deflect bullets.

“(Blocking shots is) not really something you enjoy, but to win games, it’s something you have to do,” said Galiardi, who has a chance to be one of the top two-way forwards in the WCHA this season. “And you get respect from your teammates. If you’re willing to block shots for your team, that can make a difference.”

His coach agreed and offered up perhaps the perfect word to describe what a shot blocker has inside.

“You know what it takes?” Jutting said. “It takes pride.”



Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Click here to access his college hockey blog or e-mail him at sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com.

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Shane Frederick