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Home  Articles 99/00 Season Shepherd following in footsteps of great Driller goalkeepers
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Shepherd following in footsteps of great Driller goalkeepers |
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Written by Joanne Ireland
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Friday, 21 January 2000 |
When Paul Shepherd returned to the lineup, with a fresh scar on his right knee, not much attention was paid to his shoulders.
Turns out the knee is holding up just fine, and his shoulders are strong enough to carry the team.
The Edmonton Drillers' goalkeeper stole the show in Saskatoon Wednesday night, turning away the Montreal Impact in the early going. In the first quarter alone, he made 11 saves, a new team standard. The old record was 10.
"Last night there wasn't a defence in front of him. It was just him and the shooters," said coach Ross Ongaro. "He made some great reaction saves -- but you need that. You need the goalie sometimes to save your game for you. Then in the second half we came out and started looking like the old team."
Following the 17-10 win over Montreal, a neutral site game staged in Saskatchewan Place, the Drillers rolled back into Edmonton Thursday afternoon.
They got off the bus, grabbed their gear, some rest, then turned their attentions to their next set of games -- a back-to-back series against the Detroit Rockers.
The Drillers, 12-5, and Rockers, 10-12, get the ball rolling tonight at Skyreach. The division foes meet again Sunday.
"I definitely wanted to see a turnover. In the second half, we turned the corner," said Ongaro. "Now we just have to continue to build on that."
The Drill, after a long layoff, had returned to the playing field Jan. 6. They proceeded to lose two straight, then posted an indecisive win against Wichita.
Up next were the Impact and were it not for the first half heroics of Shepherd, Montreal could have had a 10-0 lead to play with. Instead, it was a 4-0 deficit the Drillers went on to erase.
"Paul Shepherd won the game. Hands down," said defender Shayne Campbell.
"I know I made several mistakes in the first quarter. I don't know why I was making them but when you do, it turns into a goal scoring opportunity. To know that he's back there and that he's bailing you out, definitely helps."
Defence has been the foundation of Driller teams and over the years, the goalkeepers have shouldered their load. First it was Scott Hileman, then Pat Onstad. This time around, Shepherd grabbed the starting job at camp.
Five weeks later, he tore cartlidge in his right knee. The British-born 'keeper returned to the lineup last week.
"Our defence is never about the four of us at the back. It's about the team, from the target men through," said Campbell, "and I think goalies who have come in here know that over a 40-game season they're going to get a lot of support.
"They also understand that when the team is struggling, we need them, and they have always come through for us.
"They know that when the time comes, they have to step up. And last night was one of those games. We needed Paul to do what we know he can do."
DRILL BITS
GAME DAY: The Drillers (12-5)
kick off a two-game series against the Detroit Rockers (10-12) tonight at Skyreach Centre at 7:05 p.m. Game 2 goes
Sunday at 2:05 p.m.
FOR THE RECORD: The Rockers arrived in town with a three-game win streak. The Drillers have won back-to-back games. The North Division foes have already met three times, twice in Edmonton and once in the Motor City. Edmonton holds a 3- 0 edge in the season series.
MULTIPLE LISTINGS: The two all-star squads, which will meet in Edmonton on Feb. 1, rounded out the 16-man rosters on Thursday. Rick Titus and Martin Dugas were added to Team Canada's list, joining Drill teammates Chris Handsor, Todd Rattee and Nikola Vignjevic. Ross Ongaro will coach the squad. The final two additions were Rudy Doliscat of the Philadelphia Kixx and Nevio Pizzolitto of Montreal. Scott Schweitzer (Cleveland), Wes Wade (Kansas City), and Milwaukee's David Moxom and Michael King were added to the U.S. side.
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