Winter Hawk Goaltender Selected to Try Out for Canadian National Team

Salem-News.com Sports

PORTLAND - Portland Winter Hawks goaltender Kurtis Mucha is one of only six goaltenders under 18 years of age in Canada selected by Hockey Canada for is first ever Program of Excellence Goaltender Camp June 8-11, 2006 in Calgary.

The camp will help identify players who will be selected to represent Canada in the World Under-18 Junior World Cup to be held in Slovakia and the Czech Republic August 8-12. The tournament features teams from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Canada has won gold in 11 of the past 12 international summer Under-18 events.

Mucha, a 16-year-old rookie with the Winter Hawks last season, came on strong at the end of the 2005-06 season and in the playoffs. Mucha played in 20 of the Hawks` final 21 regular season games. He was (11-3-0-3) in his last 17 regular season starts and posted a 1.86 average and a 92.2% save percentage, in his last 15 starts.

He finished his rookie season with three shutouts and then played all 12 playoff games for the Hawks in the 2006 playoffs, backstopping the Hawks to a 7-game series win over Seattle in the first round and then playing even better in the Western Conference Semi-Finals against Vancouver. Mucha posted an 18-save shutout in a 1-0 win in Game 2 at Seattle in the first round and then a 41-save shutout in a 1-0 win in Vancouver in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals to tie a Winter Hawks` franchise record set by Lanny Ramage for the most shutouts in any one playoff year with two.

Mucha stopped 146 of 152 shots, 96.1%, in Portland`s 5 playoff wins in 2006, every win a 1-goal win. He stopped 183 of 198 shots, a 92.4% save percentage, facing an average of 42.2 shots per game, in the Vancouver series against the team that went on to win the Western Hockey League championship, losing in the semi-finals of last week`s Memorial Cup.

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