The accolades continue to pour in for Carleton Ravens rookie goaltender Matthew Dopud.
The native of Pointe Clair, Que. was named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-rookie team last week. In February, he was named an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) first-team all-star, and made that rookie team as well.
Dopud said he was “shocked” to hear that he had made the list.
“I feel great about getting this award,” he said. “But I couldn’t have done that without the team in front of me and the coaching staff. We were all on the same level, and I think that’s why we had a successful season.”
While the news came as a surprise to Dopud, it might not be for other followers of the team. Dopud finished first in the OUA with a 2.11 goals-against average, and his .914 save percentage ranked him seventh among Ontario netminders, second in the Eastern Conference.
Despite the sparkling numbers, which included 10 wins in 17 starts, Dopud said he hopes to improve next season.
“I am hoping next year that I can come in and get my save percentage up,” he said.
Dopud, always in a joking mood, also added that he wouldn’t mind getting a few more assists. With his above-average puck handling skills, that’s certainly not out of the question.
Dopud was also quick to give praise to those who support him from the stands.
“Obviously I have to thank my family and friends for all the support,” he said. “My parents come to every game, [they] drive in from Montreal and it makes me want to play that much harder to make them proud.”
“I want to thank the Carleton Ravens athletics for making this all possible for me and the team to succeed. They put a lot of effort and time into our ice hockey team and we all realized that.”
While the individual awards are something to be proud of, Dopud said he would much rather enjoy improved success with the team. The Ravens were eliminated in the second round of the OUA playoffs for the third year in a row, and clearly didn’t like watching last weekend’s CIS National Championships on TV.
“I’m proud to be a Raven, and all these awards are nice to have, but it would have been a lot better if we were still playing right now for that national championship. I won the provincial championship two years in a row in bantam and midget and I still remember both games and both teams I played with.”
According to Dopud, next year may be the year a national championship comes to Carleton for a sport other than basketball.
“Next year is the year for us, and I believe that we can win it all.”