OHL rookie goalie success
There are those who have their doubts and reservations about rookies being starters as goalies in the Ontario Hockey League. But no less than three rookies were Game 1 starters in the first round of this year’s playoffs — and all three posted victories.
As free-agent rookie Matthew Villalta back-stopped Soo Greyhounds to a series-opening win over Flint Firebirds, fellow freshman Jake McGrath did the same for Sudbury Wolves over Oshawa Generals and first-year stopper Jacob Ingham was the victor as Mississauga Steelheads upended Ottawa 67’s.
McGrath was Sudbury’s eighth-round pick at the 2015 OHL draft while Mississauga used a second-round selection to snag Ingham at the 2016 draft.
Villalta and McGrath were both born in 1999 while Ingham is the baby of the trio with a 2000 birth date.
All three put up good numbers during the regular season.
Villalta had a 25-3-0 record, 2.41 goals against average and .918 save percentage on a Soo squad that finished with 100 points and entered the playoffs as the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
McGrath posted a 17-18-6 record, 3.77 goals against average and .896 save percentage to lead Sudbury into the playoffs for the first time after a two-year absence and a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Ingham — who has relatives on his mother’s side of the family who reside in Sault Ste. Marie — put up a 17-6-3 record, 2.69 goals against average and .907 save percentage for Mississauga, which entered the playoffs as the no. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
In the cases of Villalta and Ingham, both have seasoned veterans as their goalie partners.
Villalta has the company of third-year tender Joseph Raaymakers. Ingham is in tandem with fourth-year overager Matthew Mancina.
But McGrath has no such luxury. With veteran Zach Bowman still on the sideline with an injury suffered mid season, McGrath’s backup is 19-year old Jr. B goalie Mackenzie Savard.
PHOTO: Jacob Ingham has been a standout for the Mississauga Steelheads as a 2000 birth-year rookie.
Ingham is a freaking great Goalie for a 16 Yr Old kid. Played real well last night !