Alex ‘Archie’ Archilbald has been fierce in net all year ( Photo: Lasia Kretzel )
Alex Archibald tried his hand at playing forward but, in the end, being in net was where he found his true calling.
He started playing hockey as a Timbit player when he was five years old. At seven years old, Archibald said he knew he would never make it as a forward.
"I think I scored three goals in over 100 games," he said with a laugh.
So Archibald made the swap to goalie at the tender age of eight. He said he made the change because he was good at being in net, and the more he played goalie, the more he enjoyed it.
Now the Carleton men’s hockey goalie and first-year arts student is turning heads for his impressive performance as a rookie Raven.
Fred Parker, Ravens men’s hockey coach, said he anticipated that Archibald would be an impact player when he brought him in and the goalie has been living up to those expectations.
"He’s carrying his workload," Parker said. "He’s a great asset."
Archibald helped bump the team to the top spot in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) far east division standings when he stopped 36 of 37 shots fired his way Oct. 18, 2008, by the McGill University Redmen, resulting in a 4-1 Ravens victory.
His success continued on Nov. 22, 2008 when he got his first OUA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) shutout with 25 stops against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
Archibald and the Ravens faltered in the second half of their season, but rallied to make it to the OUA east semifinal against the UniversitŽ du QuŽbec ˆ Trois-Rivires.
Although the Ravens were defeated in the third, deciding game of the best-of-three series, Archibald managed to stop 50 of the 55 shots against him.
Parker said Archibald’s strengths lie in his "hockey IQ and hockey sense" and his "fantastic" work ethic.
"He is, if not the hardest worker on the team, one of the hardest working players on the team," Parker said. "He is always one of the first guys on the ice each day, and one of the last guys off the ice."
And although the goalie can be thought of as the penultimate decision maker when it comes to the puck ending up in the net, Archibald said he doesn’t feel any more pressure than the rest of the team.
"Sometimes I make good saves, and there are other times when I don’t play a very good game and the guys out front make me look really good," he said.
When it comes down to it, he said he has the best position on the team.
"I like being goalie," he joked, "I’m the only one on the team playing 60 minutes of the game."