Goalies! We have real goalies!

Al Montoya

2009/10 stats: 4-7-1 2.65GAA .904% - Injured in November (shoulder surgery)

Montoya, first and foremost, is a UM guy so that gets him points in my world. However, in his 2+ years in San Antonio, Al has been terribly inconsistent and injured. He shows flashes of brilliance followed by complete turds. He is a strong puck handler and a very confident goalie who shows the ability to bounce back from tough goals. I think the revamped defense in front of him will boost his confidence and we will see the Al that we saw in his short stint in Phoenix in 2008. Al should also be pushed to perform better with the acquisition of the newest Rampage netminder, Matt Climie.


Matt Climie


2009/10 Stats: 21-17-3 2.46GAA .919%

Climie, a Bemidji St. grad, helped lead the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup Finals in their inaugural season. When starter Brent Krahn went down with an injury early in the regular season, Climie not only filled in, but played excellent to lead the Stars to a second place finish in the tough West Division. Matt then went on to win 7 games in the AHL playoffs. He's a big goalie at 6'3" but is very athletic. He tracks the puck well and will be a solid and consistent presence in net.


Overview

For the first time, possibly in the franchise's existence, the Rampage have a solid duo between the pipes. With a new philosophy on strong defense and special teams, I expect a strong season from both goalies.


Next up...Defense...