MASKED BANDIT WITH BIG STICK
Hughson stalwart in Brooks’ goal
Garret ‘Mr. Goose Egg’ Hughson tied a league record this spring.
And the Brooks Bandits goaltender came oh-so-close to smashing it altogether. Twice.
Hughson equalled the AJHL mark for shutouts with four.
He nearly had a half-dozen, losing shutout bids in the dying minutes of two other contests.
Doesn’t sound like he’ll lose too much sleep over it, though.
“Yeah, our close-out game in Camrose, they scored with (1:59) left,” Hughson said. “And in our last game, they scored with just over three to play. “Oh well, four is good enough.” Good enough to get the Bandits to the Western Canada Cup, which kicks off this weekend in Estevan, Sask.
Following an opening-day bye, the AJHL champs will start off against the West Kelowna Warriors on Sunday (2 p.m., Q105.7 FM).
GM/head coach Ryan Papaioannou’s squad only needs to finish in the top two of the nine-day event to qualify for the Royal Bank Cup (May 14-22 in Lloydminster).
And the way Hughson has been playing, that seems almost a given.
The Foremost, Alta., product has taken a circuitous route to this point.
His season began with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs before he moved east to join the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
Josh Davies started the season between the pipes for the Bandits and by the new year, all he had done was go 25-5-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Not too shabby. Certainly not the kind of numbers that would normally trigger a goaltending change.
But when Hughson, who wasn’t having a ton of fun despite posting a winning record with the Spitfires, became available, Papaioannou wasted no time bringing the 20-year-old into the fold.
“We had a good connection to him through our goalie coach (Matt Wong),” Papaioannou said.
“He was hoping to come back closer to home and finish (his career) with a chance to win a championship.”
That opportunity certainly existed in Brooks and Hughson made his AJHL debut Jan. 8 — a 21-save shutout against the Drumheller Dragons.
He proceeded to go 14-3 (2.23 GAA, .918 save percentage) down the stretch as he nailed down the starter’s spot. Davies, by the way, made just a half-dozen starts — winning all six and giving up a total of eight goals — after Hughson’s arrival. His 31 wins ended up tops in the AJHL, as was his 2.18 GAA.
But it was Hughson’s crease in the post-season, and the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder did not disappoint.
Hughson went 12-1 with a microscopic 1.10 GAA, a .957 save percentage and the aforementioned four shutouts as the Bandits cruised to the AJHL crown.
“He’s been outstanding,” Papaioannou said. “He’s got himself in a place right now where he’s playing with a lot of confidence.
“I think he’s really happy to be where he is, just in terms of the proximity to home.
“The way he’s played in the playoffs was incredible. We’re hoping he can play the same way but we know, at some point in time, we’re going to need to have a big game in front of him.”
Hughson, who said he’s still deciding which CIS option he will accept for next season, said he doesn’t remember ever having a run like this.
“I don’t think so,” Hughson said. “I think these numbers are the best of my career.
“I’m definitely feeling it right now. I’m in the zone, but we also have a real good team. Everything is coming together.
“Last year, when we hit the playoffs (with Spokane), I stepped it up, too. But we didn’t have this strong of a team.”
Strong enough to play for the Royal Bank Cup?
They’ll find out over the next week.