Boys athlete of the week
The Post-Gazette’s top male performer of the past seven days
Recently: Goaltender picked up his eighth consecutive victory as he allowed two goals in a 13-2 victory against Freeport to help Fox Chapel move to within one point of clinching a PIHL Class 1A Penguins Cup playoff spot.
Check this out: Rattner, a junior, is currently tied for third in the PIHL with 10 wins and leads the top three classifications among netminders with at least 10 starts with a 1.66 goalsagainst average.
What’s this run been like this season?
I was the No. 1 goalie my freshman year and had kind of a rough go of it (4-13-0, 5.82 GAA, .842 save percentage) and it wasn’t one of our better seasons.
But it’s been fun. I love being with the team. We’re like one big family and it’s been amazing.
What did you learn riding the bench last year? I
learned a lot.
My goalie partner, Nash Wedner, had a great season last year and he really kind of took me under his wing and helped me out a lot with my positioning and movement.
What made you want to be a goalie? That’s a good question. In (youth) I played goalie one game because we didn’t have a goalie and I thought I played well, so I just decided that I wanted to stick with it and it was pretty fun.
You also didn’t have to move very much, but that’s kind of changed a little.
Is there anyone you particularly model your game after? No, not really.
It isn’t a hockey player, but my number, 85, is after Heath Miller from the Steelers.
What’s something that people would be surprised to know about you? I’m a three-sport athlete. I also play golf and lacrosse.
What from golf and lacrosse help you as a hockey player, or vice versa? Being a goalie, being the backbone of the team, you always have pressure on you and it’s helped me a lot with golf, being under pressure.
With lacrosse, it’s really helped my mental game with being the No. 1 goalie and being more confident in myself.
What position do you play in lacrosse? I play the midfield.
That’s different, going from a goal stopper to a goal scorer. It’s fun to score goals in lacrosse and not being the one scored on.
It just feels good to score and know what the shooters feel.
That’s why it’s so fun to take away that feeling when you rob a goal.
What do you think is your best sport? I’d say golf, but I am having a great hockey season right now.
What are you streaming right now? “Kaleidoscope” on Netflix.
— By Keith Barnes