Isles Info:
2006-07 Update: April
1, 2007: Jase Weslosky suffered a 7-2 loss vs.
the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on Mar. 3rd, his only appearance for
St. Cloud in the month of March. It was St. Cloud's
final game of the regular season, and it was Weslosky's
first lost of his collegiate career. He finished the
season with a record of 5-1-0. The Huskies went 0-1-1 in
their final two regular season games and entered the
playoffs with an overall record of 20-7-7. Playoffs:
In the first round of the WCHA playoffs, St. Cloud faced
the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in a best of three series.
The Huskies lost game one 3-1 Mar. 9th but bounced back
to take game 2 in double OT 3-2 on Mar. 10th. In an even
more exciting finale, St. Cloud won the deciding game 3
in triple OT also by a 3-2 score on Mar. 11th to win the
series 2 games to 1. All three games were played on St.
Cloud's home ice. On to St. Paul, St. Cloud lost their
first game of the WCHA Final Five to North Dakota 6-2 on
Mar. 16th. They lost their next game to Wisconsin 4-3 in
OT on Mar. 17th. The Huskies were chosen to play in the
NCAA East Regionals at Rochester where they drew Maine
as their opponent. Maine defeated St. Cloud 4-1 on Mar.
23rd to eliminate the Huskies. Weslosky did not play in
any of St. Cloud's playoff games. With St. Cloud's #1
goaltender Bobby Goepfert graduating, Weslosky stands to
become the Huskies top goaltender in 2007-08, his
sophomore year.
March
1, 2007: Jase Weslosky did not see action for St.
Cloud State during the month of February. The Huskies
posted a record of 3-1-2 in February and overall they
are 20-6-6. They are ranked #2 overall in the nation.
February 1, 2007: Jase Weslosky posted a record of
2-0-0 with the St. Cloud Huskies during the month of
January. It was the first month of the season that the
backup has played in more than one game. Weslosky
defeated Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 6th at home. On Jan.
20th he made 18 saves in a 6-5 win vs. Minnesota Duluth.
It was the first time Weslosky allowed more than 2 goals
in a game. He is now 5-0-0 on the season with a 1.81 GAA.
His win on Jan. 6th helped increase SCSU's team record
longest unbeaten streak to 15 games (12-0-3). It was
also the Huskies 12th straight win. During the month of
January SCSU posted a record of 5-2-1 and overall they
are 17-5-4. They are ranked #4 in the nation.
January 1, 2007: Jase Weslosky posted a 3-1 win vs.
the Colgate Raiders on Dec. 8th, his only appearance for
St. Cloud in the month of November. He's now 3-0-0 on
the season and still sports a 1.00 GAA. The win helped
SCSU tie a team record for longest unbeaten streak(10
games). SCSU posted an outstanding record of 6-0-0 in
December and are currently on a 10 game winning streak
and 13 game undefeated streak. Overall SCSU is 12-3-3
and ranked #6 in the nation.
December 1, 2006: Jase Weslosky posted his first
career shutout in only his second career game for St.
Cloud State. Weslosky only saw action once in October,
and once in November. In the 4-0 win vs. Clarkson,
Weslosky made two saves on fellow Islanders prospect
Shea Guthrie. Weslosky is 2-0-0 on the season and has a
1.00 GAA. SCSU posted a record of 4-1-3 in the month of
November and they are 6-3-3 overall. They have climbed
up to #10 in the college hockey polls. After three
straight ties, Weslosky's win started the Huskies on a 4
game winning streak to end the month of November.
November 1, 2006: Jase Weslosky is serving as backup
for St. Cloud State's Bobby Goepfert. He got his first
career collegiate start October 20, 2006 at Minnesota
State Mankato. Weslosky backstopped the Huskies to a 4-2
win in his first start with 28 saves on 30 shots. The
St. Cloud State Huskies went 2-2-0 during the month of
October.
2006-07 Highlights
* Named first star
with 24 saves in 4-0 shutout win vs. Clarkson Golden
Knights November 17, 2006.
* Named third star with 26 saves in 3-1 win vs. Colgate
Raiders December 8, 2006.
* Named third star with 20 saves in 4-1 win vs. Alaska
Anchorage January 6, 2007.

Jase Weslosky vs.
Minnesota State Mankato
SCSU
men's hockey: Whiz kid
By Kevin Allenspach,
sctimes.com, Dec. 7, 2006
Only five years and
three months separate Jase Weslosky and Bobby
Goepfert — yet, when St. Cloud State's current and
future goalies room together, there's a technological
chasm if not a generational gap.
Goepfert, a senior and
returning All-American, likes to play video games. But
by Goepfert's own admission, he's not in the same league
as Weslosky, an 18-year-old freshman who taps away at
Counter-Strike on his laptop, competing with a dozen
people over the Internet, all while talking to his
girlfriend on his wireless phone.
"I was a big
console guy in the beginning," said Weslosky,
sounding as though he could break into a discussion
about video cards or RAM at any moment.
"I had a
Nintendo, then I got a Super Nintendo. Then I got a
PlayStation, then a PlayStation2. But once I got into
computers I started leaning more toward the PC games —
though I actually do want to get the new Nintendo
they're coming out with, the Wii. Maybe after Christmas
I'll start bringing that along instead."
At his mercy will be
Goepfert, who said he never felt older than when
Weslosky dusted off an old Nintendo game, Blades of
Steel, last weekend on a trip to Michigan Tech. As they
played, Goepfert said he remembered playing the game not
long after it came out. Weslosky offhandedly remarked
that was the year he was born.
The controller or
keyboard isn't the only place Weslosky is one of the
wonders of Generation Next. His two appearances so far
have teased the Huskies with what he can do in the
crease. He's 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and
a .963 save percentage. He won his debut, 4-2 on Oct. 20
at Minnesota State-Mankato, then shut out Clarkson, 4-0
on Nov. 17 at the National Hockey Center.
"It seems like
forever ago when I was 18," Goepfert said,
wistfully recalling how he had just completed his first
year in the USHL when he was Weslosky's age.
"I know I wasn't
ready then to play college hockey ... but what Jase has
done is big for his confidence," Goepfert said.
"He knows he's capable of playing at this level
already and he should be here. You can tell he's
enjoying himself off and on the ice."
Weslosky could make
his next appearance on Friday in the opener of a series
against Colgate, the Huskies' last competition before
Christmas. They'll return with a tournament at Vermont,
then play WCHA teams the rest of the way. While head
coach Bob Motzko plans to spot Weslosky some more after
the break, they both know Goepfert is destined to play
down the stretch and into the postseason.
"I'm working hard
in practice — that's my game," Weslosky said.
"I'm not going to play and then think I'm dead for
the next month. I'm not greedy. I know what my role is,
and that's to be behind Bobby and take what I can from
him."
Youthful anomaly
Perhaps that's the
mature way to look at it. Weslosky has impressed his
coaches and teammates with that characteristic, even
though he's the second-youngest player in school
history. He's also the first whose birthday (Aug. 14,
1988) came after St. Cloud State moved to Division I.
"There's not that
much difference in a goalie who's 28 and one who's
18," Weslosky said. "They've got the same
thing in mind: Stop the puck."
Weslosky is one of 14
players in SCSU's 20-year D-I era who arrived as an
18-year-old and didn't — or in his case won't — turn
19 until after their rookie season. Significantly, he's
the only goalie, and one of three players on the list in
the past decade. The others are Lee Brooks, a forward
who arrived in 1998-99, and Casey Borer, a defenseman
who now is a senior captain.
"I was used to
getting all my meals made at home and I went from barely
being able to get into an R-rated movie to here, where
(former captain) Ryan LaMere was engaged and guys are
getting ready to go on job interviews," Borer said.
"It's different, but you adapt. Jase is a good
goalie. He's made great strides already. I don't have a
doubt he's going to win a lot of games here before he's
done."
Motzko originally
considered bringing Weslosky in next season, then
decided there's no way he wanted to follow Goepfert with
a green goalie.
"There were two
theories," Motzko said. "We could've left him
in juniors and he'd have seen a ton of minutes. On the
other hand, you look at somebody like (Wisconsin senior)
Brian Elliott. He came in and sat for two years.
"We walked
through the scenarios with him and his family and
thought it was best if he used this season as a vehicle
to get used to college hockey," Motzko added.
"A lot of it's going to be in practice, but we're
not going to shelf him, either. This is a time for him
to go through a season of weight training and,
hopefully, by next season he won't look like a skinny
18-year-old. And actually, right now when you see him in
gym shorts, he looks like he's about 14."
Edmonton to SCSU
Weslosky grew up in
Edmonton. His parents are divorced and he lives with his
mother, Sheila Butlin, ("The driving force behind
my career.") and step-father, Claudio Sanelli. Jase,
whose only sibling is his 21-year-old brother, Jarod,
played his junior hockey in nearby Sherwood Park, a
hotbed for the game in western Canada.
"As you get
further west, it's pretty much 'Go Dub or go home,'
" said Weslosky, referring to the Western Hockey
League, which didn't draft him out of bantams. "I
didn't know anything about college until (SCSU
assistant) Freddie (Harbinson) came down at Christmas
and talked with me. I didn't know who the Gophers were
or anything like that."
Weslosky's team in the
Alberta Junior Hockey League last season was terrible.
Though he was possibly the lone bright spot, with a .910
save percentage and a 2.11 GAA, despite a 9-18-8 record,
he had some hesitation when the Huskies accelerated his
arrival. Then, at a summer camp, he happened to glance
through a copy of Goalies World magazine and read a
story about former Michigan goalie Al Montoya, a
first-round pick of the New York Rangers two years ago.
The article laid out why Montoya chose college over
major juniors.
"The gist of it
was he understood his playing time would drop almost in
half, but the thing he liked is that he got more time in
practice to hone his game," Weslosky said.
"Rather than just being thrown into game action
night after night, you can figure stuff out for a week
in practice and then go into a game. I thought that's a
good idea."
He nearly re-evaluated
that in September. During captains' practice, he and
freshman B.J. O'Brien, who also should push for playing
time next season, got a rude awakening.
"The shots
(college players) take are a lot different,"
Weslosky said. "And just the way they think here.
When they come down on you, it's not just two or three
things they're thinking about doing, it's four or five
in their head ... My patience has come a long way. As
soon as I'd see the puck on a 2-on-1, I was thinking
'Oh, God.' And I'd go down, and they'd either go
upstairs or pass it right back. Now, I'm waiting a bit
more.
"When you first
come in, the game's so fast. After awhile, it slows
down. I remember those first weeks of practice, though.
I was like 'Oh, my God, what did I get myself into?'
"
Eccentric, like a
goalie
Weslosky was a
fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders last summer.
He attended their post-draft prospect camp and met
goalie Rick DiPietro, who recently signed a 15-year
contract.
"I guess if I
want to play I'll have to beat him out," joked
Weslosky, who would be 33 when DiPietro's deal expires.
Not that he doesn't
have interests besides hockey and high-tech electronics.
Weslosky is considering a biology degree or similar
studies as preparation for veterinary school.
"I'm a really big
animal guy and I'd like to work with exotic zoo
pets," said Weslosky, who on a recent trip was
mesmerized by an Animal Planet TV show featuring a bunch
of cheetahs running around. "I'm probably going to
take something that will help propel me into that sort
of career if hockey doesn't pan out the way I want it
to."
He'll have to prove it
in many more games, but the Huskies have a feeling their
goaltending will continue to be in good hands.
"Pretty much what
I'm gearing toward is getting myself ready for next year
so I can handle the load when Bobby's gone,"
Weslosky said. "Day-in, day-out, I'm just thinking
about what I want to be able to do next year, and that's
take the team as far as I can. This year is preparing me
for that, getting me a little taste here and there. Next
year, maybe I can eat the whole cake."
SCSU
hockey: Huskies shut out Golden Knights
By Kevin Allenspach,
sctimes.com, Nov. 18, 2006
The last time Andrew
Gordon went more than four games without a goal, he was
a rookie.
The previous time the
St. Cloud State men's hockey team got a shutout from a
true freshman, Jase Weslosky was 10 years old.
In what could be good
signs for the Huskies' immediate and distant futures,
neither streak went any further than Friday night's 4-0
victory over Clarkson before a reported crowd of 5,071
fans at the National Hockey Center.
Gordon set up Andreas
Nödl's game-winner 23 seconds into the second period,
then scored an insurance goal 20 seconds into the third.
And Weslosky, the second-youngest player in school
history, stopped all 24 shots he faced from what had
been the fourth-best offense in the country.
Weslosky, who won in
his only other appearance Oct. 20 at Minnesota
State-Mankato, knows his primary job this season is to
watch and learn from All-American Bobby Goepfert. As for
Gordon, coming off a 40-point season, he knows the team
is looking at him before anyone else to buoy the
offense.
"When you come
out of the gate with four (goals) in four (games), one
night off feels like a slump," said Gordon, whose
line with Nödl and Nate Dey totaled one goal — and
that on the power play — in the four games since the
Mankato series. "It's good to get out of it. When
you're playing with (Nödl), you know he's going to get
you the puck. It's a matter of time before you bury one.
I knew that. So I didn't try to let it get to me too
much, squeeze the stick. You've just got to let things
happen."
On the first shift of
the second period, they did. Dey worked the puck from
the right corner to Gordon behind the net. He was going
to come around the right post but the puck slid to Nödl,
who snapped a shot past Golden Knights goalie David
Leggio.
Nödl returned the
favor on the first rush of the third period. He chased
down a shot by Dey, curled in the left circle and
backhanded a pass to Gordon for a one-timer. The puck
trickled between Leggio's pads.
"The first couple
of games, we were making tic-tac-toe plays," said
Gordon, who went goalless in the final 10 games of the
2004-05 season.
"Then we got into
some higher-paced games — like North Dakota on a
smaller sheet — and we were having trouble getting the
puck deep and starting our cycle. That's what makes us a
strong line — when the puck's in the zone, no one's
going to outwork us. For awhile, we weren't doing that.
We were trying to cross the line and make drop passes
and make passes through the box on the power play. That
wasn't working for us so, all week in practice, we just
dumped the puck in and tried to make the simple play,
whatever that was ... that goal we scored in the
(second) period, that's exactly what it was."
St. Cloud natives Matt
Hartman and John Swanson added goals late in the period.
Hartman picked the top right corner on Leggio just after
a five-minute power play expired, and Swanson scored
into an empty net with 15 seconds left.
By then, the only
drama remaining was whether Weslosky would get his
shutout. Not since Dean Weasler blanked Nebraska-Omaha
in back-to-back games, Feb. 12-13, 1999, had a true
Huskies freshman done so. Jason Montgomery, a redshirt
freshman who was less than six months shy of his 23rd
birthday, shut out Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 28, 2003.
The fact that Weslosky
scored his against No. 18 Clarkson made it that much
sweeter.
"These guys are a
big power-play team, at least that's what we learned
from film," said Weslosky, who is 2-0-0 with a 1.00
goals-against average and a .963 save percentage.
"We went a lot over that, and we were able to
contain them and match our systems to what we wanted.
That allowed me to see the puck all night, and the ones
I didn't see hit me, luckily."
He was best early,
stopping 10 shots in the first period — when the
Knights had both of their power-play chances. Five of
the first 10 shots were by Shawn Weller, but Weslosky
stoned him on a bang-bang play around the crease and
later Weller conveniently hit him in the middle of his
crest.
"Their goalie
came up with some key saves at the right time,"
Clarkson coach George Roll said. "(Leggio, who made
38 saves) really kept us in it. We've got to be better
in front of him. On each of their first two goals, we
had a guy standing right there and let them go by. You
can't have that, especially if you're struggling to
score goals."
That wasn't supposed
to be the case.
"We normally
score a lot," Leggio said. "Their guy made a
couple of terrific saves early. He got across quick. I
heard he was a good goalie and he certainly proved that
tonight."
The Huskies, ranked
15th and 17th in the national polls, improved to .500
with the win in their first nonconference game. They'll
go for the sweep tonight, with Goepfert in goal. He's
been less than stellar this season (1-3-3, 3.18, .892),
but the Huskies still expect to live and die with him.
"This is still
Bobby Goepfert's team," Huskies coach Bob Motzko
said. "Jase is part of our future."
Weslosky will be
ready, whether his next chance comes sooner or later.
"It's basically
just keeping your head in it by not getting down at all
if you give up a bad goal in practice," Weslosky
said. "You've always got to be prepared as a
back-up, and you never know if something might happen to
Bobby during warm-ups or something. I'm always trying to
keep myself prepared, no matter when it is in the
season, because it's the worst thing if you get called
upon and you're not.
Inside College
Hockey
Nov. 2, 2006 excerpt
If Bobby Goepfert's
recent mini-slump continues, Husky fans must be happy to
know they've got a capable backup. Rookie Jase Weslosky
earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors recently after
posting 28 saves (and allowing two power-play goals) in
the Huskies 4-2 win at Minnesota State. Just by being
between the pipes when the puck dropped that night,
Weslosky also snapped Goepfert's streak of 20
consecutive starts.
Jase
Weslosky Named WCHA Rookie of the Week
stcloudstate.edu, Oct. 24, 2006
Jase Weslosky, a first-year goaltender at St. Cloud
State University, has been named Red Baron WCHA Rookie
of the Week for Oct. 24-29 as a result of his strong
performance in a conference road victory at Minnesota
State.
Marking his first collegiate start between the pipes
on Oct. 20, Weslosky stopped 28 of 30 shots on goal
while yielding just two power-play goals to earn his
first victory as the Huskies skated to a 4-2 WCHA road
victory over the host Mavericks.
A 6-2, 175-pounder from St. Albert, Alberta, Weslosky
had 12 stops in the second period and eight in both the
first and third periods as SCSU prevailed despite being
outshot by MSU, 30-19. Weslosky is a draft choice of the
National Hockey League's New York Islanders.
St. Cloud State, now 2-2-0 on the season, is idle
this week before its Nov. 3-4 league road series at
North Dakota.
SCSU
hockey: Rookies lead Huskies to wins at each end
by Kevin Allenspach, sctimes.com, Oct. 21,
2006
MANKATO — Andreas
Nodl continues to make a name for himself as Jase
Weslosky just got started.
Together, they were
the two most important factors for the St. Cloud State
men's hockey team in Friday night's 4-2 win over
Minnesota State-Mankato.
Nodl, off to the
hottest start in school history, figured in three
first-period power-play goals and has seven points (3
goals, 4 assists) in his first three college games.
Weslosky, meanwhile,
became the youngest goalie (and second-youngest player)
in the Huskies' Division I era when he started in his
college debut before 4,090 fans. Twenty-eight saves
later, he walked out of the visitors' dressing room at
the Midwest Wireless Civic Center with the victory puck
and a happy expression.
He wasn't the only one
smiling, especially since these are two of the future
faces of the program.
Of course, Nodl is
vying to be prominent now, not tomorrow. The only other
player in the SCSU records who had seven points in his
first three games was Ryan Malone, now with the
Pittsburgh Penguins. He did it against Miami (Ohio) and
Bemidji State. Nodl has done it against Denver and
Mankato.
"He's a helluva
player," said Huskies coach Bob Motzko, whose team
partially avenged back-to-back overtime losses here last
season. "Hey, you're seeing a very gifted offensive
player. He's as good as I've been around."
That's high praise,
considering he recruited former All-American and current
NHLer Thomas Vanek to Minnesota.
Motzko told a WCHA
preseason media teleconference that the similarities
between Nodl and Vanek end with the fact that they're
both from Austria. But it's quickly becoming apparent
hiding Nodl's talent will be like throwing a hanky over
the top of Powder Ridge — the ski hill near Kimball
that the Huskies passed to and from Friday's game.
During a brief 5-on-3
advantage early in the game — thanks to a
cross-checking penalty on Mavericks defenseman R.J.
Linder (a St. Cloud Tech graduate) — Nodl got
possession in the right circle and drew the puck back
and forth a couple of times as if to pass. Suddenly, he
whipped a wrist shot that beat goalie Dan Tormey
short-side at 7:19.
"I try to pass
all the time," Nodl said. "First I tried to
pass to (Andrew Gordon), then I tried to pass back-door.
I wanted to pass, but then I thought maybe give it a
shot."
Then, before Linder's
infraction expired, Nodl made a no-look pass from behind
the net right on the tape of Dan Kronick, who made it
2-0 at 8:33.
"It was a lucky
pass," said Nodl, who later found Gordon alone in
the left circle from behind the net to make it 3-0 at
19:29.
Gordon had so much
time he got his whole body into a wrist shot and picked
the upper right corner from 20 feet out.
"He marked it top
shelf," Nodl said. "That was a great
shot."
At the other end,
Weslosky blocked a shot by Zach Harrison in the opening
minutes of the game, then covered a chance by Jon
Kalinski, who had goals in each of the Mavs' first two
games.
"I think (Weslosky)
was real nervous," Nodl said. "But he did a
great job because we didn't play our best game in front
of him. He held us in it a few times. He didn't really
talk much before the game. I think he was really
prepared."
It couldn't have been
too much, but Weslosky said he was wired to go 41/2
hours before game time.
"I didn't really
know what to expect," said Weslosky, who tried to
pass the time by watching "Saving Private
Ryan" with his mentor, Bobby Goepfert, at the
hotel. "Bobby gave me some heads up as far as
bouncy boards and stuff like that. I took it all in and
tried to do the best I could."
Wearing a black mask
because the new one he ordered with a paint job hasn't
arrived yet, Weslosky delivered everything you could ask
from someone who turned 18 on Aug. 14. He faced eight
power plays — including a five-minute disadvantage
because of a checking-from-behind major on Justin
Fletcher at the start of the second period. Thirty-four
seconds in, Travis Morin made it 3-1. But Weslosky
stopped the other 13 shots he faced in the period and
only allowed another power-play goal by Kevin Huck in
the third.
By then, Ryan Lasch,
another freshman, had restored a comfortable lead with a
power-play goal 21/2 minutes before the second
intermission.
"For his first
game, on the road, you could tell he saw the puck all
the time," Motzko said of Weslosky. "If they
shot high, he was reacting to it. He made three or four
key saves when they got in tight and you can't fault him
on the goals. They were both on the power play and we
had a breakdown on each one."
Weslosky, who will
watch Goepfert in tonight's rematch at the National
Hockey Center, is glad of one thing: He doesn't have to
face Nodl.
"You can tell
they've got some special young players," Mavericks
coach Troy Jutting said. "I think they're going to
be a much-improved team this year."
And perhaps for some
time to come.
Future arrives
today for Weslosky
by Kevin Allenspach, sctimes.com, Oct. 20, 2006
MANKATO — Jase
Weslosky doesn’t look nervous.
Maybe he’s just not
old enough to know better.
Tonight, when he’s
expected to make his college debut at the Midwest
Wireless Civic Center, he’ll become the youngest
goalie to appear in a game in St. Cloud State’s
Division I era.
Weslosky was born on
Aug. 14, 1988, making him 18 years, 2 months and 6 days
old.
In fact, the only
younger player in SCSU history was Tony Gruba,
who was born Aug. 23, 1972, and jumped straight out of
Hill-Murray High School to the Huskies’ lineup in
their inaugural WCHA season of 1990-91.
Weslosky never heard
of him, but that doesn’t matter. What does is that he
gets some experience backing up senior Bobby Goepfert,
an All-American who could leave a gaping hole in the
Huskies’ defensive confidence after this season.
Weslosky, who is lanky
(6-foot-2, 175 pounds), could be the diamond the Huskies
found in the rough of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
As a rookie, backstopping a team that won fewer games
than any other, Weslosky posted a .910 save percentage
and a 3.11 goals-against average.
“I didn’t have a
chance to get nervous for my first game in juniors,”
said Weslosky, who is from Edmonton. “Our starter got
hurt and they threw me in there.”
His team lost, but
Weslosky rebounded with a shutout in his first start.
While he sometimes
looked like a bumper in the middle of a pinball machine,
he must’ve impressed more than just the SCSU coaching
staff. The New York Islanders made him their
fourth-round selection in the draft, making him the
highest picked Huskies goalie.
That honor is somewhat
misleading as there have only been three previous
draftees between the pipes for SCSU: Jeff Kruesel (7th
round, Los Angeles, 1988), Brian Leitza (6th,
Pittsburgh, 1994) and Goepfert (6th, Pittsburgh, 2002).
But Kruesel (6 games, 1-3-0, .855 and 5.91 in 1989-90)
was the only one who didn’t become a college star.
No one’s expecting
that already tonight, though Weslosky’s older
teammates should rally in front of him. Minnesota
State-Mankato has scored two even-strength goals in as
many games and the Huskies don’t visit the penalty box
much. The crowd will be half as big as he’ll encounter
in most WCHA arenas, and it’ll be populated with
plenty of cardinal-and-black-clad fans making the trip
down Highway 15.
“There’s probably
less pressure on the road,” Weslosky said. “At home,
it’s like the eyes of all your fans are on you. I’m
just glad to get a chance. I don’t feel any
butterflies.”
Of course, the puck on
that first face-off has yet to hit the ice.
|
Isles Select G Jase Weslosky
108th
Overall |
G Jase
Weslosky
Born: August 14, 1988, St. Albert, Alberta
2005-06: Sherwood Park (AJHL)
Catches: Left
CSB: 14th overall among North American Goaltenders |
- in 2005-06 Weslosky had a save percentage of .910 and
saw 2,123 minutes of action.
- Weslosky will attend St. Cloud State University in 2007-08
- played with the St Albert Gregg Distrubutor Sabres in 2002-03
- played for the North Division Prospects team for the AJHL All-Star
weekend Jan. 21-22, 2006
- was coached by former New York Islander Greg Parks for the first half of
2005-06.
- was a 2006 draft pick 6th round (#125 overall) of the SICHL's Miami
Makos.
- the Islanders acquired this pick and the 173rd pick from San Jose in
exchange for the 98th pick in 2006.
Islanders Scout: "He is a very quick and agile goaltender,"
said Islanders scout Sudarshan Maharaj. "He is in the same mold as
Marc-Andre Fleury, and should develop into a promising No. 1 netminder."
Weslosky could be a net loss for the
Cru
by Shane Jones - July 12, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — Jase
Weslosky’s gain could result in a net loss for the Sherwood Park
Crusaders this season if the New York Islanders have anything to say about
it.
Weslosky started last season as the Crusaders third netminder coming out
of Midget AA but had a meteoric rise from there, eventually becoming the
starter and finishing the season with three end of the year awards from
the Cru for MVP, top rookie and top goaltender and more importantly, a
U.S. college scholarship to play for St. Cloud State University in
Minnesota for the 2007/08 season.
But the best was yet to come and it did a couple weeks ago when Weslosky
was drafted in the fourth round, 108th overall, in the NHL Draft by the
New York Islanders.
Weslosky, who entered the draft as the 14th ranked North American goalie
but went much higher than the pre-draft predictions, was just happy to be
selected, no matter where he went.
“It was a surprise to go at all,” he said. “It’s just really
exciting to get noticed. Whether it was the fourth round or the seventh
round, it didn’t matter where I went. I was on a plane to Minnesota when
it happened and my girlfriend texted me to let me know. To see your name
called as early as the fourth round, that was pretty exciting. Seeing that
a team has that much interest in me and thinks that I am capable of
playing at that level in the future. It’s exciting and it makes you feel
good.”
Crusaders head coach and G.M. Ross Kenny was thrilled to see the hard
working netminder receive such a strong vote of confidence at the draft.
“Where he went was a real tribute to him and how hard he worked last
year,” he said. “I was an assistant with the Crusaders last year and I
really witnessed that. He really put a lot into getting where he did. And
I don’t think getting drafted this year was ever his goal, going in. He
worked so hard every day and committed to the program. He may not have had
the opportunity to develop as quickly as he did with another organization.
There was a lot of being in the right place at the right time to it. But
when he got his chance he took the ball and ran with it.”
Weslosky, who was shelled for eight goals in his first start with the team
in early October but shook off the dreadful debut and got better
throughout the year, was grateful the Crusaders showed faith in his
abilities.
“I think I just needed the chance,” he said. “Having something like
this happen to you is always in the back of every hockey players mind. I
needed the opportunity and I got it. And I also had a bit of luck with the
right people coming out to watch me. Hopefully I can keep going from here
and I can keep opening doors to get me where I want to be.”
Weslosky was expected back for one more season with the Crusaders before
heading to college but his draft position may change that as the Islanders
will look to ensure he is in the right place to continue his development.
“I haven’t heard what is going to happen yet,” said Weslosky who is
at the Islanders prospects and rookies camp this week. “I know my
university and the Crusaders have been talking. The way it looks right now
I am probably staying here but you never know what could happen. It really
depends on what the guys up above want.”
“It is in the air right now,” said Kenny of Weslosky’s return.
“We’re working on it. The Islanders may want him to move up a level.
Our opinion is that at our level he will have a lot more playing time than
he would if he went to college right now. They play 32-36 games and at our
level it’s 60 and he could end up playing a good majority of them.
We’re hoping we can keep him around for another year.”
Weslosky can see an upside to either situation.
“There are pros and cons to either way,” he said. “Playing at the
university level I would still get a lot of practice time to hone my game
but here I would get a lot of actual game experience. If I move up the
skill level of the guys I am up against would go up as well but I
wouldn’t have as many games. There are advantages and disadvantages both
ways.”
Only two AJHL players went in the draft, the other being Spruce Grove
Saints forward Jesse Martin, selected in the seventh round by Atlanta.
Cru goalie picked up by Islanders in
draft
by Dave S. Clark - June 28, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — Sherwood
Park Crusaders goaltender Jase Weslosky has a chance to live out every
young hockey player’s dream -- play in the NHL.
The 17-year-old heard his name called last Saturday at the NHL Entry Draft
in Vancouver. He was picked in the fourth round, 108th overall, by the New
York Islanders.
The St. Albert native, was ranked 14th among North American goaltenders
going into the draft.
He had a 2.33 goals against average and pulled off two shutouts last
season with the Cru.
The rookie goalie had unexpected success with the Crusaders this year.
Prior to this season, he hadn’t played above the Midget AA level. But as
the season wore on he continuously improved, enough to replace Keenan
Boomer as the starter.
Weslosky, who returned from St. Cloud, Minnesota, late Monday night, could
not be reached for comment by the News.
He was coming home from a meeting with his future team. He has committed
to play at St. Cloud State University on a scholarship for the 2007/08
season.
Centreman Jeff Lee, the other Crusader who was hoping to hear his name
called, wasn’t picked up at the draft. The rookie AJHL player was ranked
128th overall for players from North America.
Western College Hockey Blog
June 25, 2006
Jase Weslosky- It was probably
reassuring for St. Cloud fans that Bobby Goepfert's successor was taken
over highly touted goalie recruits like Minnesota's Alex Kangas, Colorado
College's Richard Bachman and Denver's Marc Cheverie.
Jase Weslosky-Sherwood Park(AJHL)-Committed
to St. Cloud. Could join St. Cloud in '06 if Bobby Goepfert leaves.
Drafted 108th by New York Islanders in 2006 NHL Draft.
Two Crusaders could hear NHL call
names
by Shane Jones - June 21, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — They
will have barely finished celebrating the Stanley Cup finals in the here
and now before the NHL switches gears and looks to the future.
The NHL Entry Draft takes place this Saturday in Vancouver and two members
of the Sherwood Park Crusaders look very much like they will be hearing
their names called.
Goaltender Jase Weslosky and centre Jeff Lee have both made the
NHL’s Central Scouting Service’s final rankings list for North
American players and are expected to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft on
Saturday.
Weslosky, who posted a 2.33 goals against average and two shutouts while
being peppered in the Crusaders net, is ranked 14th among N.A. netminders.
Lee, who joined the Cru in a mid-season trade from Drayton Valley and went
on to post 18 points in 26 games with the Park to finish out his rookie
season, is ranked in the fifth round and 128th overall amongst players
from this side of the pond.
Weslosky has had a meteoric rise in the sport since his shaky start with
the team, allowing eight goals in his first start with the team in early
October.
But the rookie goalie, who had never played higher than Midget AA.
continued to steadily improve and eventually replaced highly touted Keenan
Boomer in the starting job between the pipes.
He would eventually receive three end of the year awards from the Cru for
MVP, top rookie and top goaltender and more importantly, a U.S. college
scholarship to play for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for the
2007/08 season.
Now he may be selected in the NHL Entry Draft less than a year after this
shaky start.
So have the nerves kicked in? Nope. If they had then Weslosky wouldn’t
be showing that cool goaltender demeanor NHL team are looking for.
“I’m not really too nervous about it,” he said. “It’s just kind
of something that is there and if it happens it happens. It’s pretty
exciting. But I’m not getting too worked up about it though because I
know it won’t make that big a difference if I’m drafted or I’m not
at this point. I have a lot of time to develop. I’ve got college coming
up to work on my game and hopefully I’ll get better year after year. The
cushion of having that scholarship always helps. But it’s always nice to
hope that a pro team could be interested in you like that.”
Weslosky won’t even have a chance to watch the draft as he is scheduled
to visit his future college on draft day.
“I might still be on the plane,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get a
call from somebody.”
Weslosky admits it is a bit of a novelty that the last place team in the
AJHL could have two players drafted in himself and Lee. But he also is
careful to point out that even if two guys are considered potential pros
that they are still just two guys out of 20 on the ice.
“Some teams just don’t click,” he said. “We were clicking pretty
good in parts of the year and then we wouldn’t. It goes to show how
important everybody is. You can have guys on the team like myself and Jeff
who are attracting a little interest, but two guys aren’t going to make
that big a difference to the team as a whole. It’s not an individual
game.”
Weslosky is a firm believer the Crusaders will be a much better team this
fall and is glad he has one more year left in the Park before going to
college.
“I’m really excited. It’s going to be a good year coming up I think.
I’m pretty excited to get back out there for our first game. We’ll get
all the jitters out and go from there and put a good run for the playoffs
together. Even though it is June we have to start thinking about that
now.”
That is when they aren’t dreaming of the NHL.
Weslosky and Holmberg share Cru MVP
nod
by Shane Jones - April 26, 2006
- sherwoodparknews.com
Receiving the most accolades were co-MVP
winners Jase Weslosky and Brett Holmberg.
Weslosky was without a doubt the best story with the team this season,
entering the year third on the goaltending depth chart only to finish it
as the team’s starter and with a college scholarship to his credit.
“He just had a phenomenal year,” said Auchenberg. “It was a dream
year for him. He comes out of Midget AA and everything just kind of fell
into place for him. He earned every bit of it too. He would never quit. He
worked so hard. We eventually had to give him a shot and he took the bull
by the horns and never looked back. He becomes our starter and then he
lands a full ride scholarship to St. Cloud University in the States and by
the end of the year he was on the NHL’s Central Scouting list as the
14th ranked goalie in North America for the next draft. What a year.
Everything lies ahead of him now. He has such a great future.”
In addition to the MVP nod, Weslosky also took home the team’s Top
Goaltender and Rookie of the Year awards.
Weslosky, Fraser, AJHL rookie stars
by Shane Jones - March 22, 2006
- sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — The
Sherwood Park Crusaders’ season is long over but the accolades continue
to roll in for rookie netminder Jase Weslosky.
The 17 year-old goalie was the only player to be unanimously selected by
the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s North Division coaches and G.M.’s
to the North All-Rookie team.
Weslosky maintained a .906 save percentage and had two shutouts this
season for the Cru, the only team to miss out on the AJHL playoffs from
the North.
His strong play between the pipes was also recognized with the signing of
a college scholarship for the 2007-2008 season when he will attend St.
Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Weslosky was one of two players from the Cru named to the All-Rookie squad
as forward Reid Fraser was also honoured with a selection.
Fraser scored 22 goals and added 17 assists in his first full season with
the Cru.
Weslosky’s emergence as a breakthrough player was also reflected in the
the Source for Sports Player of the Game final standings.
He lead the league in game star selections after the January segment but
ended up in third place in the league at season’s end.
Mark Letestu of the Bonnyville Pontiacs and Chris Wilson of the Grande
Prairie Storm edged out the Crusader netminder with strong performances
down the stretch.
Weslosky naturally finished first amongst Crusaders, followed by leading
scorer Brett Holmberg and Fraser.
Crusaders vow to improve during
off-season
by Shane Jones - March 8, 2006 -
sherwoodparknews.com
“Everybody is getting ready for next
year already,” said Cru goalie Jase Weslosky. “Because we are going to
be freaking good next year.”
“I heard last year that nobody in the room really cared after they
missed the playoffs. This year it’s had an effect on a lot of people.
I’m going to spend the off-season working out and perfecting my game so
I can come back as good as I can so I can come back and help us go as far
as we can.”
Cru over and out
by Shane Jones - March 1, 2006 -
sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — Backs
to the wall. Playing for all the marbles.
You know it’s a big game when pretty much every sports cliche applies.
And they didn’t come much bigger for the Sherwood Park Crusaders than
Monday’s final regular season match against the Bonnyville Pontiacs.
Go hard or go home. Do or die.
In the end, it was home and dead.
Bonnyville was able to regain their lead with two minutes left in the
second and their vigorous forechecking in the third kept the Cru from
mounting another comeback as they fell 3-2 and had their season stopped
short in February.
Naturally the boys in black were feeling pretty blue after all was said
and done.
“It’s the worst feeling in the world,” said goalie Jase Weslosky.
“It’s everyone’s dream to get into the playoffs and go on a good run
and going out in February was not exactly high on my list. It’s pretty
quiet in the room. You open the door and you can’t hear a thing.”
Cru hit the skids
by Shane Jones - February 8,
2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — Nine
games without a win may have represented all of the Sherwood Park
Crusaders’ nine lives this season.
After picking up the pace in December and getting back into the playoff
picture, the Cru have taken their foot off the gas completely in January,
idling while the Lloydminster Bobcats came back into contention and then
passed the Park for the final playoff spot in the AJHL North with time
running out.
The team’s play of late also has many in the dressing room starting to
question the commitment of their teammates.
“I really don’t know what is going on,” said Cru goalie Jase
Weslosky. “There is a lot of negativity floating around. You can
feel it when you come into the room. Some guys aren’t coming with the
work ethic anymore and it is hurting the team. There are lots of guys
trying but some aren’t. We have to buck up and start firing on all
cylinders again. It’s hard to understand. We had so much success when we
were all working so hard, then all of a sudden to shut it down. It’s
frustrating.”
Cru’s Weslosky nets U.S. college
scholarship
by Shane Jones - February 1,
2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — First
impressions don’t always mean that much.
The first impression of Sherwood Park Crusaders goaltender Jase Weslosky
was that he was nowhere near ready to play at the AJHL level.
Weslosky, who played the previous season at the Midget AA level, was
seriously shaky in his first start for the team in early October, allowing
eight goals on 32 shots when he went in at the last minute for starter
Keenan Boomer, injured in practice.
Flash forward a few months and the 17-year-old netminder is not only the
go-to guy between the pipes for the Cru but has already landed what most
players are looking for in this league, a U.S. college scholarship.
Weslosky committed to play for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for
the 2007/08 season last week.
A far cry from his inauspicious debut.
“It was not a highlight night,” he laughed. “It almost seemed like I
needed to adapt to it. It was a new environment to be in but once I
started to hit the ground I was running. I needed a little introduction
into it. Unfortunately my first game wasn’t what I wanted, but it
happens.”
He shook off the shaky start and quickly started turning heads, steadily
improving to record stats like a 91.41 save percentage and a 2.84 GAA
entering play last week on a team which has struggled for most of the
season.
“The way I’ve been playing in the last couple months has been kind of
amazing to me,” he said. “People have been telling me how my style has
changed and everything and how I’ve adapted to the quicker game. Lots of
people have noticed that. Hopefully I’m doing everything I can right
now. I was just lurking in the shadows and waiting and hoping for my turn.
When I got my turn it didn’t really turn out too good. But I got a
second chance and after that it started getting good because I was able to
come back from that first game and get a shutout in Calgary. It was a good
boost and I kept on going from there.”
Weslosky didn’t look to fit into the Crusaders picture at the beginning
of the year, behind veteran Shannon Szabados and highly touted rookie
Boomer. But his play has led the Cru to deal both as Jase made his case to
be the starter.
“Jase is a great team player,” said Crusaders head coach Dan
Auchenberg. “He has the full respect from his coaches and teammates both
on and off the ice. His goal was to play for the Crusaders and with his
commitment, consistent hard work, and belief in himself, Jase has more
than proven his ability to play at this level. And he is getting
recognized for it.”
Being recognized, including having a scout from the Toronto Maple Leafs
there to watch him and teammate Jeff Lee at Sunday’s match at the Arena,
is hard for Weslosky to wrap his head around.
“It’s mindblowing,” he said. “To have so many people out there
talking about you and stuff. To come from Midget AA to all of a sudden
having your name in newspapers and fans coming up and talking to you after
games, that’s amazing to see.”
Signing the dotted line with St. Cloud was a pretty special feeling as
well.
“I’m so excited about it and the great thing is that the guys in the
room seem to be excited for me too,” he said. “There’s a lot of
support there. I think it gets everybody pumped up, seeing one of us get a
scholarship out of this. I think it’s good for everyone. It’s
awesome.”
As much as Weslosky is looking forward to starting his collegiate
experience he is glad he will be back for another season with the
Crusaders, a team he feels is poised to break out.
“We decided to leave it another year and I think that will help me
because I’m still young and I need to develop more with my game,” he
said. “I’m happy about that and I want to be here for another year
too. With all the changes we’ve made it just seems like more people are
clicking together and that as a group we are a lot closer. At the
beginning of the year we had a bunch of little groups in the dressing room
but now it seems like everyone is working together and sticking together
and it is starting to show in our game. It’s getting really fun. Next
year we’re going to have a very good team for sure and it will be good
to be a part of it.”
Weslosky Commits to
University
January 24, 2006 - Sherwood Park Press Release
The Sherwood Park
Crusaders are pleased to announce that 17-year-old Jase
Weslosky has committed to St. Cloud State University in
Minnesota for the 2007/08 season.
Jase made an immediate impression with the Crusaders.
He is a goaltender coming out of Midget AA who has
captured a lot of attention. Jase's confidence
between the pipes has shown why he has a 91.41 save
percentage and 2.84 GAA.
"Jase is a great
team player. He has full respect from his coaches
and teammates both on and off the ice. We are
proud of Jase - his goal was to play for the Crusaders
and with his commitment, consistent hard work, and
belief in himself, Jase has more than proven his ability
to play at this level."
The Crusaders
organization congratulate Jase and wish him continued
success.
Dan Auchenberg
General Manager/Head Coach
Sherwood Park Crusaders Junior 'A' Hockey Club
Men's
hockey: Goalie says he's coming to SCSU
By Kevin Allenspach
- sctimes.com - January 21, 2006
The St. Cloud State
men's hockey team had a pretty good goalie in net on
Friday night.
Today, they'll get a
verbal commitment from one who hopes to replace Bobby
Goepfert. Goepfert entered the weekend with the
second-best goals-against average and third-best save
percentage in the WCHA.
Jase Weslosky,
a 6-foot-2, 170-pound, right-handed catching goalie from
the Sherwood Park (Alberta) Crusaders, plays in the AJHL
Prospects Game at noon 1 p.m. (CST) today in Spruce
Grove, Alberta. The game is for players who have not
made college commitments, but Weslosky told the Times he
is joining the Huskies in the fall of 2007 unless the
St. Cloud State goaltending picture changes.
"They've got a
good history with the program there (at St. Cloud
State)," said Weslosky, who is 8-14-3 with a 2.84
GAA and .914 save percentage in 44 games through
Wednesday. "I did a lot of research and I think
it's the right school for me."
Only two teams have
fewer points than Weslosky's this season, and he faces a
lot of action. Only one goalie among the top 15 in the
AJHL has faced more than Weslosky's 28.7 shots per game.
"He's a
phenomenal kid with a tremendous work ethic," said
Sherwood Park coach Dan Auchenberg, who coached Glenn
Fisher, now a junior at Denver, with the Crusaders.
"Jase is always working to get bigger and stronger.
What I like about him, though, is his competitive
nature. When it's game time for him, it's Game Time.
He's got a passion about him that's more than any goalie
I've coached."
Weslosky, 17, is from
St. Albert, Alberta, a suburb of Edmonton not far from
Sherwood Park. He uses a butterfly-hybrid style and has
good lateral movement, according to his coach.
Weslosky joins a list
of recruits that includes forwards Ryan Lasch, Andreas
Nodl, A.J. Gale, Garrett Roe and Ryan Peckskamp, and
defensemen Craig Gaudet, Jon Ammerman and Jared Hummel.
The Huskies expect to recruit another goalie, and may
add a forward if the right player is available.
Cru in better shape
entering the break
by Shane Jones
- December 28, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
For the second game in
a row the Cru were able to defeat the Spruce Grove
Saints and this time they did it in style, handing the
rival squad a 5-1 defeat with a strong effort.
Jeff Lee provided a big spark with an early shorthanded
tally and Reid Fraser scored the eventual winner on the
powerplay to stake the team to a 2-0 first period lead.
Jessie Thomas found the twine twice in the second and
Reese Rolheiser added another to put the Cru up 5-0
after two, a score which would stand until just 38
seconds left in the contest when Saint Justin Delong
scored to stop Cru goalie Jase Weslosky’s
shutout bid.
Weslosky turned aside 44 shots to be named first star
for the Cru. It’s a far cry from his first outing for
the team when he allowed eight goals earlier this
season. But Auchenberg feels he has improved
consistently since then to become a dependable starter.
“After that first game we didn’t know how he would
rebound,” he said. “We gave him a second opportunity
and he’s just taken the bull by the horns ever since.
He’s very serious about what he does and is mentally
prepared for the games. He brings a lot to the table and
really helps us out. He thrives on getting better. He
wants to win and be successful and that rubs off on
other players. I’ve already had two colleges ask me
about him in the last week. He’s starting to get a lot
of interest.”
Crusaders make a
deluge of deals
by Shane Jones
- December 7, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
The Cru then worked
another deal with Camrose sending goalie Keanan Boomer
south as the future considerations to complete another
swap between the two teams in October.
However that deal was later deemed void when Boomer
failed to report to Camrose. Auchenberg is hopeful the
young goalie will change his mind but isn’t sure where
he stands. It won’t be with the Cru however despite
the fact he came in with so much promise they decided to
trade female all-star netminder Shannon Szabados away to
make room for him between the pipes at the beginning of
the season.
“He might go after Christmas,” said Auchenberg.
“He’s going to university and has a girlfriend
he’s very solid with and he’s not sure if he wants
to go there.”
“He’s been outplayed by Jase Weslosky and I
felt we needed a veteran goalie in the mix so I got
Saimbhi. Boomer played unbelievable when Shannon was
here but once we made that deal he let up and never
seemed to get it back. He has to make a decision if he
really wants to play this game. It just wasn’t working
out here. He’s a good kid though. I wanted to give him
an opportunity to play somewhere else if he wanted to.
It was tough because we wanted to work him in but
Shannon really wanted the workload and we had to make
that deal at the time. A little sooner than we wanted
to.”
More: The Crusaders finished off the week with an always
tough road trip to Grande Prairie where they lost
another close one, falling 3-2 to the Storm despite Jase
Weslosky’s solid performance in net, stopping 43
shots.
Third goalie in mix
to stir up Cru
by Shane Jones
- November 30, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
This week’s swap
special was sending forward Mike Fiorillo (acquired
earlier this season in a trade with Spruce Grove) to the
Fort Saskatchewan Traders for goaltender Kal Saimbhi and
futures.
Adding a third goalie to the mix is designed to put some
pressure on the current duo of Jase Weslosky and Keanan
Boomer, particularly Boomer who has tailed off after
looking impressive enough in the early running that the
team traded veteran Shannon Szabados to give him the
number one job between the pipes.
“We made the deal because we wanted to send a message
to our goaltending that we aren’t totally happy with
it and hopefully it stirs things up a little bit,”
said Auchenberg. “We’re very pleased with the way
Jase is playing but Keanan isn’t playing up to his
true potential. Maybe this will spark things.”
Crusader's
goaltending news
by Shane Jones
- November 23, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Jase Weslosky
was a standout in net for the Cru and has become sort of
the go-to guy in goal, often outplaying highly touted
rookie Keanan Boomer.
“He was very good for us,” said Auchenberg. “We
weren’t expecting to use him as much as we have to
this point. Keanan hasn’t stood up to his expectations
and taken the bull by the horns. I don’t know if it is
confidence or the adjustment to the higher league or
what. We know he has it in him to play very well. We
know it is there but Jase is working a little harder
right now.”
Few immediate
dividends for Cru after change
by Shane Jones
- October 12, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
And he is hopeful he
can do it again with the current edition of the Cru
after adding head coach to his G.M. duties with the
team, taking over the team last Wednesday after the
Crusaders fired Greg Parks, the former New York
Islander.
But it’s obviously not going to happen overnight.
The Crusaders are 1-2-1 in the second coming of their
new coach following a disappointing southern road trip
this weekend.
The Cru had a tough start to the week at home as they
fell 5-2 to the Olds Grizzlys but responded with a much
better effort in their first game of their three game
road wing down south on Friday, dumping the Calgary
Canucks 3-0. Jesse Van Dalfsen, Sean Ringrose and Reid
Fraser scored for the Park as backup Jase Weslosky
got a shutout for his first AJHL win. But they took a
step or two back after that little leap forward, falling
3-1 in Okotoks on Sunday and only managing a 2-2 tie
with the lowly Canmore Eagles on Monday afternoon.
Crusaders hope
southern trip yields up points
by Shane Jones
- October 5, 2006 - sherwoodparknews.com
Sherwood Park News — A
slam to the shoulder led to a tap on the shoulder that
rookie netminder Jase Weslosky may not have been
ready to receive.
Normal Sherwood Park Crusaders starting goalie Keenan
Boomer went down with a bruised collarbone after a shot
to the shoulder in warmup, and backup and fellow rookie
Weslosky got his first ever AJHL start against a hot
team the coaching staff would rather he hadn’t.
The green goalie looked like he had been thrown to the
wolves at times as he allowed eight goals on 32 shots as
the Cru lost their second game of the week, 8-6 to the
Drayton Valley Thunder on Sunday at the Arena.
Not that Weslosky should shoulder the blame for the
defeat.
“Having Boomer go down in the warmup wasn’t
ideal,” said Cru head coach Greg Parks. “We
think Weslosky will be able to do the job but this was a
difficult team to start his AJHL career against. It
wasn’t an ideal spot to throw him in. It certainly
wasn’t his fault. It was a team loss.”
Weslosky took the tough start to his AJHL career in
stride.
“It wasn’t my best game,” he said. “It came as a
bit of surprise going in but that’s hockey and as a
backup you have to be ready to go in at any time. It
wasn’t the start I wanted. I still have a lot to
improve on but I’m not going to let it bother me.
I’m coming up from Midget AA and it’s a monumental
difference in terms of the calibre of the shooters you
come up against. I’ll take it in stride and work to
get better the next time out.”
Jase Weslosky Gallery
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