GOALIE OF THE WEEK: MIKE MCKENNA

The Red Line Goalie of The Week is someone I met along the way in 2000-2001 while I was working for the Springfield Junior Blues of the North American Hockey League. The starter at the time was a 17 year old from Springfield, MO who carried the load for a team that relied on him to stay in the playoff hunt.

Mike McKenna is a prototypical present-day NHL style goaler as he stands at 6”2 – 190 lbs. His style much resembles Brent Johnson which is not too surprising as Johnson was with the Big Blues during Mike’s formative days.

After his time in Springfield, Mike went on to stand out for St. Lawrence University and was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 6th Round (#172 Overall) in 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Presently, Mike is the # goaltender with the AHL Portland Pirates.

Here’s a snapshot of Mike’s ECHL Career with Las Vegas –

2005-2006

• Made his pro debut on 11/5/05 at Bakersfield in the ECHL making 27 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss.
• He recorded his first professional win on 11/12/05 with a shootout win over Bakersfield.
  Recorded first shutout 12/1/05 at Phoenix.
• Named to 2005-06 ECHL National Conference All-Star team.
• Won nine games in a row from 11/12/05 -12/27/05.
• Won playoff debut at Idaho with a 5-4 overtime victory on 4/14/06, making 35 saves.

2006-2007

• Named RBK Hockey ECHL Goalie of the Week on 11/21
• Runner-up for ECHL Goalie of the Week on 11/27
• Named ECHL Goalie of the Week on 12/5
• Named Runner-up for ECHL Goalie of the Week for January 22-28
• Goalie of the Week Feb. 12-18
• Named All-ECHL Second Team for 2006-07 season
• Represent Las Vegas in the ECHL All-Star Game
• All-ECHL second team and finished second in Goalie of the Year and MVP voting
• The third year pro won 11 straight games from March 13,2007 to April 23, 2007

In two seasons with Las Vegas posted a 46-6-8 record, with a 2.17 goals against average, six shutouts and a .925 save percentage.

Here’s a snapshot of Mike’s AHL Career

• Spent parts of the last two seasons in the American Hockey League w/ Milwaukee, Omaha and Norfolk.
• Made Portland Pirates debut in a 3-2 loss at Worcester on 10/13/07.
• Presently #1 goaltender for Portland w/
  31 GP 1739 Mins 2.48 GAA 20 W 7 L 1 SOL 2 SO 781 Saves 0.916 sv %

PHOTO ANALYSIS OF MIKE MCKENNA

Watching It All The Way In: Mike watches the puck all the way into his body. Never loses sight of the puck. He looks like an MLB catcher here watching it all th way in.

Stance: Being 6' 2'', Mike utilizes a wide-low and a wide-up stance.

Butterfly - Closing The Holes: Mike does a fantastic job of closing the holes and absorbing shots.

Regrouping With Power: Here Mike is with St. Lawrence and does a great job recovering with his weight and up.
Mental Approach: Mike is a serious student of the game and takes a very analytical approach to his craft. When all is said and done, he always ends up on top!