Coyle credits total team effort in big win
Rookie goaltender allows just four goals in final three games
Although Caleb Coyle’s numbers speak louder than words, the rookie goaltender was more interested in praising his teammates.
Coyle had just backstopped the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild to the provincial major midget hockey championship. The Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride held a 3-1 series lead when Kensington turned to Coyle in Game 5. The 16-year-old son of Pat and Lori Coyle of Summerside calmly recorded three straight wins. He gave up only four goals, stopped 84 of 88 shots and did not allow a thirdperiod goal, which included preserving one-goal leads in Games 5 and 6.
“It’s not just me,” emphasized Coyle following a 20-save effort in a 6-1 win in Game 7 on Saturday night. “Our D was really strong, there were a lot of forwards blocking shots. There wasn’t a lot of scoring chances. “A lot of the shots were coming from the outside, I had a chance to see the puck and you really have to give my teammates credit.” Coyle welcomed a lopsided score in Game 7 compared to the previous two nail-biters that went right down to the final second. “It was a much more relaxing third period,” said Coyle, who has now won provincial titles in atom, peewee, bantam and midget.
“It feels good to complete the circuit,” he chuckled. No stranger to playing in pressure-packed situations, Coyle treated Game 7 as just another contest.
“It’s always the same game,” he explained. “You prepare like you always would, and go about it the same way.”