|
|
As much as Jean-Philippe Lamoureux's string of jaw-dropping performances leave his teammates searching for new adjectives, the Alaska Aces may be even more astounded by his steady demeanor and seriousness of purpose.
And that's saying something after Saturday night, when all Lamoureux did was backstop a second straight 2-0 playoff shutout of the Utah Grizzlies at Sullivan Arena. All that 22-save gem did was give the rookie goaltender four consecutive shutouts of the Grizzlies, dating back to the regular season, and lift the Aces to a 2-0 advantage in the ECHL's best-of-7 West Division semifinals. Game 3 in the opening-round Kelly Cup series is Wednesday night at The E-Center in West Valley City, Utah. Lamoureux, voted Goaltender of the Year by the league's hockey coaches after his ECHL-record eight shutouts in the regular season, has not surrendered a goal to the Grizzlies in 244 minutes, 17 seconds. He has stopped 106 shots in that span. Yet it's the process that carries Lamoureux to his achievements that captures the affections of his teammates as much as the performances themselves. "He's a great professional already,'' said defenseman Derick Martin, Lamoureux's roommate. "He's very composed and he takes his job seriously. "When he needs his rest, he gets it. And he doesn't screw around.'' After games, the roomies often discuss the match just played. Martin said he's always interested to hear Lamoureux's breakdown of the game because "he's the eyes of the team -- he sees so much.'' Even so, the numbers are hard to ignore. Lamoureux is 8-1 against Utah this season with a 1.44 goals-against average and .954 save percentage and those four bagels. But veteran winger Lance Galbraith said Lamoureux's only interest remains winning. "If you ask him (about shutouts), he doesn't care,'' Galbraith said. "He's so competitive, and he works so hard. He gets upset when he gives up a goal in practice. "The big thing with him --it's amazing -- is he just wants to win. His attitude is amazing, especially for such a young guy.'' Alaska's win Saturday was basically lifted off the template it established in Friday's series-opening win: Labor to get a goal against Utah goalie Michael Mole (36 saves), who has been magnificent, get another goal with an early third-period push, then let Lamoureux take care of the rest. The Aces earned a 1-0 lead before an announced crowd of 5,023 on Luke Erickson's goal with 23.8 seconds left in the first period. Center Josh Soares, who Friday was held without a point for the first time in 13 games with Alaska this season, gobbled up an uncharacteristically ghastly turnover by Utah defenseman Andy Sertich behind the Grizzlies' net and fed Luke Erickson between the faceoff circles. Erickson, who had just come off the bench and was speeding down the slot, cranked a one-timer past Mole on the glove side. Lamoureux and Mole held the shooters in check during a scoreless second period, trading sensational saves. "You can rattle off eight-nine-ten unbelievable saves he made tonight,'' Lamoureux said of Mole. "He continues to give them a chance to win.'' But the Aces broke through again less than four minutes into the third period when defenseman Bryan Miller heeded the shouting of Galbraith for the puck. Miller collected the puck inside his own blue line and hit Galbraith with a hard pass at the Utah line on right wing. Galbraith left a drop pass for Alexandre Imbeault and headed to the net to provide a screen as Imbeault's shot whistled inside the right post. "When you've got a guy who can shoot it like Imbeault, put it in his wheelhouse and let him rip it,'' Galbraith said. Lamoureux made that 2-0 lead stand, even as the Grizzlies lifted Mole for an extra attacker for much of the last three minutes. The shutout was not his focus, though. "It's all about winning, and it's hard to do,'' Lamoureux said. "The biggest thing for us is winning these close games. "Whatever the team needs, whether it's 1-0 or 6-5 and you have to make key saves at key times. (Shutouts are) the furthest thing from my mind.''