South Nepean goaltender best in OHL.
Chris Carrozzi shines after being awarded goalie of the year.
Nevil Hunt
Fresh off a trip to the third round of the Ontario Hockey
League’s playoffs, Chris Carrozzi added a notch to a successful season.
The Barrhaven native was named the league’s Goaltender of
the Year on April 26, just five days after being eliminated by the Barrie Colts
in round three.
The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors netminder tied for a league-high
with five shutouts, sported the second-best goals-against average at 2.36 and
tied for the fourth-best save percentage at .916.
Carrozzi joins the likes of NHL veteran Manny Legace, 2009
top rookie Steve Mason, and former Ottawa Senators netminder Ray Emery to earn
the distinction of the OHL’s best goalie.
“It’s an honour to win that award,” Carrozzi said. “Just
looking back at those goalies who have won the award before, seeing those big
names that are playing pro right now, it’s pretty cool to be in that category.”
The award is voted on by the league’s 20 general managers
and teams were not permitted to vote
for a goaltender from their own organization.
Goaltenders
received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place
vote and one point for a third place vote.
Carrozzi won the
award with 59 points, 11 ahead of Plymouth Whalers goalie Matt Hackett.
“That’s what makes it so good is that it’s voted on by the
people that coach and know the game,” Carrozzi’s father Dominic said.
The Barrhaven goalie was part of platoon with JP Anderson
that won the Dave Pinkney Trophy for combining to allow a league-low 175
goals-against.
Even though Carrozzi just received the individual
recognition, both goalies were relied upon during the Majors’ recent run in the
playoffs.
The two split time in the second-round matchup against the Ottawa 67’s as Carrozzi started the series, before head
coach Dave Cameron turned to Anderson
in Game 4 to close-out the seven-game affair.
“We have a tandem, me and JP,” Carrozzi said. “The coach
decided to go with JP for the second round and most of the third round. That’s
just the way things go sometimes.
“It was a great run for our team.”
Despite watching from the bench for parts of the run,
Carrozzi felt he played “phenomenal” during the postseason – something his 2.14
goals-against average and .928 save percentage would support.
And he was glad to have the support of those close to him in
round two.
“It was just fun for my family to be able to watch me and
not have to drive four hours to see me,” Carrozzi said. “To beat them (Ottawa) there was huge.”
Dominic said he was especially proud of how his son grew on
and off the ice during his four-year OHL career.
“The work that he puts into this was rewarded by getting the
award,” Dominic said. “I’m very, very happy for him.
“It’s a nice way to end his junior career. It’s like the
cherry on the cream to top it off.”
Carrozzi will be formally presented with the award at the
annual OHL Awards Ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Game in Toronto on June 9. He is also the league’s
nominee for the Canadian Hockey League’s top goalie.
While the 20-year-old has the option of returning to Mississauga as an
over-age player next season, Carrozzi has his sights set on taking the next
step in his career.
As a 2008 sixth round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers,
Carrozzi is looking to make an impression with the NHL team at rookie camps
this summer.
“My plan is to turn pro,” he said. “I’ve accomplished a lot
and I think I’ve had that been-there-done-that kind of thing with the OHL. I
want to move on and start my pro career.”
daniel.bowman@metroland.com