Gillis versus Savage should prove to be an interesting matchup as the Corner Brook Royals and Kelly Ford Gander Flyers tangle in the first two games of a Central West Senior Hockey League best-of-seven semifinal series this weekend in Corner Brook.
Gillis, a 26-year-old native of Lantz, N. S., helped the Royals win first place in the regular season, while Savage joined the Flyers — fourth-place in the standings — late in the season to give them a No. 1 puckstopper to compete with the elite goaltenders around the four-team league.
It’s business as usual for Gillis as he takes the crease for a third playoff season with the Royals.
“Wayne’s a great goalie and he’s very capable of stealing games so hopefully I can meet that task,” Gillis said earlier this week. “I know my team is going to approach the games with a defensive mind so hopefully they can help me out as well.”
Gillis won’t be worrying about who’s opposing him at the other end. He just wants to focus on doing his job and give his chance to win, and likes the way the coaching staff have preached a defence-first mentality and the group has bought into the strategy.
Getting pucks to the net is what Gillis figures will be the mission in a series that opens with Game 1 tonight 7:30 p.m. at the civic centre in Corner Brook.
“Wayne’s been playing well for them all year so we have to find a way to get traffic towards him and hope for our bounces,” he said.
Gillis, a six-foot, 190-pound puckstopper, believes the maturity level in the Royals dressing room is a lot higher than his first two seasons so it has boosted his confidence as he approaches the crease. He insists the players have become a close-knit group who have high expectations of each other.
“Everybody realizes what’s on the line here and we’re just going for it,” he said.
Savage, a native of St. Thomas, Ont. who turned 28 two days ago, is a big puckstopper who takes up a lot of space with his six-foot-, 225-pound frame. He doesn’t change his approach to being a goalie, whether it’s a practice, a regular season game or the opening game of a run at the championship.
He’s just ready to find a way to have pucks hit him. He doesn’t look at the series as if it all rests on the shoulders of the puckstoppers, insisting it’s a team game where success depends on the effort of the collective group.
“You just got to go in there and do your job and give your team a chance to win,” said the former Rapid City Rush goaltender who is now finishing up a psychology degree at the University of Prince Edward Island.
“You have to score goals, you have to get help from your defence and you have to make the first save so you can give your team a chance to win,” he said. “You need the five guys in front of you ... you need their help as much as they need yours.”
Joining the Flyers, after his connection with Gander import Chad Locke helped the team lure him to the province, has provided him with his first glimpse of Newfoundland and Labrador.
But, he never got a chance to see St. John’s yet. The only way that can happen this season is if he can lead his team to the Herder.
Time will tell if Gillis will disappoint him.
Gillis versus Savage should prove to be an interesting matchup as the Corner Brook Royals and Kelly Ford Gander Flyers tangle in the first two games of a Central West Senior Hockey League best-of-seven semifinal series this weekend in Corner Brook.
Gillis, a 26-year-old native of Lantz, N. S., helped the Royals win first place in the regular season, while Savage joined the Flyers — fourth-place in the standings — late in the season to give them a No. 1 puckstopper to compete with the elite goaltenders around the four-team league.
It’s business as usual for Gillis as he takes the crease for a third playoff season with the Royals.
“Wayne’s a great goalie and he’s very capable of stealing games so hopefully I can meet that task,” Gillis said earlier this week. “I know my team is going to approach the games with a defensive mind so hopefully they can help me out as well.”
Gillis won’t be worrying about who’s opposing him at the other end. He just wants to focus on doing his job and give his chance to win, and likes the way the coaching staff have preached a defence-first mentality and the group has bought into the strategy.
Getting pucks to the net is what Gillis figures will be the mission in a series that opens with Game 1 tonight 7:30 p.m. at the civic centre in Corner Brook.
“Wayne’s been playing well for them all year so we have to find a way to get traffic towards him and hope for our bounces,” he said.
Gillis, a six-foot, 190-pound puckstopper, believes the maturity level in the Royals dressing room is a lot higher than his first two seasons so it has boosted his confidence as he approaches the crease. He insists the players have become a close-knit group who have high expectations of each other.
“Everybody realizes what’s on the line here and we’re just going for it,” he said.
Savage, a native of St. Thomas, Ont. who turned 28 two days ago, is a big puckstopper who takes up a lot of space with his six-foot-, 225-pound frame. He doesn’t change his approach to being a goalie, whether it’s a practice, a regular season game or the opening game of a run at the championship.
He’s just ready to find a way to have pucks hit him. He doesn’t look at the series as if it all rests on the shoulders of the puckstoppers, insisting it’s a team game where success depends on the effort of the collective group.
“You just got to go in there and do your job and give your team a chance to win,” said the former Rapid City Rush goaltender who is now finishing up a psychology degree at the University of Prince Edward Island.
“You have to score goals, you have to get help from your defence and you have to make the first save so you can give your team a chance to win,” he said. “You need the five guys in front of you ... you need their help as much as they need yours.”
Joining the Flyers, after his connection with Gander import Chad Locke helped the team lure him to the province, has provided him with his first glimpse of Newfoundland and Labrador.
But, he never got a chance to see St. John’s yet. The only way that can happen this season is if he can lead his team to the Herder.
Time will tell if Gillis will disappoint him.
