Goalie Del Bianco makes seamless transition to NLL
Colorado coach has unique perspective on young Roughnecks netminder
If it’s at all possible to be upset about losing yet happy for the goalie who beat you, Pat Coyle was in that position last weekend.
As head coach of the Colorado Mammoth, he was none too pleased to see his charges lose 13-9 to the Calgary Roughnecks in their National Lacrosse League game at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
But as head coach of the junior Co quit lam A dana cs, he was thrilled to see his goaltender, Christian Del Bianco, have a standout game for the host Roughnecks.
“Absolutely,” Coyle said Thursday. “I like to separate it, plus we’re going to be on the same team again in a few months in Coquitlam. I’ll be coaching him again. I want him to be getting better and succeeding. I’m really proud of him, how well he’s doing. It would just be nice if he wouldn’t do it against Colorado.
“But for sure, I can admire what he’s doing and not like it at the same time.”
The 20-year-old Del Bianco gave a bravo performance as he made 51 saves against the Mammoth. That came on the heels of a 47-save effort the previous weekend in Toronto. Those two victories have lifted the Roughnecks out of the doldrums. Calgary is now 3-5 and chasing the West Division teams in front of them, rather than trying to stay out of the NLL basement.
With Frank Scigliano hampered by a leg injury, Del Bianco was called upon to show if he could translate his excellence at the junior level into the big league. Thus far, he’s lived up to his billing,
Granted, he hasn’t played the minutes of some of the more seasoned men, but he leads the league with a 9.49 goals-against and an .807 save percentage.
He’ll get the opportunity to add to his numbers Friday night, when the Roughnecks welcome the Vancouver Stealth (1-8) to the Dome (7 p.m.). A victory would put the Calgary club up 2-0 in the season series against the Stealth.
“It’s no surprise to me how well he’s doing,” Coyle says. “If anything, I thought it would happen faster. That’s how good he is. I know how good he is. I’ve coached him since he was 12, I think.
“It is such a big adjustment because the nets are a little smaller in junior, they can use wooden sticks, and the stick is bigger and heavier. And really, you can see how Christian has come along in the last two years. What I know about him, too, is he always wants to take shots, he always wants to get better, he’s always working on his game.”
The 5-foot-10 Del Bianco is taking in the experience
“Obviously it’s one of those things where you don’t really know until you’re in the league,” he said. “But the big thing is sticking with the process and believing, because sometimes it can be frustrating. You’re not always going to have that success right off the bat.”
Del Bianco — who works in a cabinet shop in Coquitlam and does renos on the side — has in the past credited Coyle for helping him become not so much a better goaltender but a stronger person.
“I think definitely the mental aspect of the game is the big thing with him,” the youngster said. “He was on the tough side of things to me early on, but later on, it paid off a lot because it keeps you level and easy.”
Another individual to whom Del Bianco owes much is his partner between the pipes, Scigliano.
“He’s the guy who’s been there throughout the whole thing for me,” Del Bianco said. “So I think he’s the guy who has influenced me the most.”
Del Bianco was instrumental in the Adanacs’ Minto Cup victory in 2016, as he stopped 59 shots in a 6-5 overtime win over Ontario’s Orangeville Northmen in the deciding game of the national Junior A box lacrosse championship. Last season, the Coquitlam crew wasn’t able to defend, losing out to the team from Six Nations.
But Del Bianco will be back with the Adanacs for one more shot at the junior crown this summer. And Coyle is thrilled at that prospect.
“I like how he lets himself make mistakes and is open to learning,” Coyle said. “To me, that’s one of his biggest qualities. He doesn’t live and die with each goal. He stays pretty emotionally steady throughout games, from period to period, from shot to shot and from game to game. That’s one of his biggest assets. If you can’t fail, then you’re really in the wrong sport.”