Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 March 2016 16:37
Lakeshore Lightning goaltender Erin Connolly wraps up a stellar high school career
By Andrew Vitalis
It seemed like even from the beginning, every time Erin Connolly put on her skates good things happened. Brian Connolly, Erin’s father, remembers his daughter roaming the net at an early age with an edge of confidence well beyond her years.
“At the very beginning of her goalie career, in a Mite tournament when she was seven years old, a game went to overtime and then a sudden death shootout. They put their best player out first and Erin stuffed him. Our player scored and we won, and eventually went on to win the tournament with Erin in net,” remembered Brian. “When she was U12 age playing U19, the girls on our bench – mostly all much older and bigger – would get a kick out of pointing out the towering goalie in the opponent’s net and then comparing her to Erin whose head was still well below the crossbar. And then stating unequivocally that they’re glad they have ‘little Erin’ as their goalie.”
Fast-forward several years later, “Little Erin” just put the finishing touches on a gigantic career. The senior goaltender from the Lakeshore Lightning was named the winner of the 2015-16 Wisconsin Miss Hockey Award by the WGHCA. If that hardware wasn’t enough, Connolly also won the Jessie Vetter Award as the state’s top goalie and was recognized as an All-State First Team performer. Connolly, who also plays for Team Wisconsin, shattered the record books by posting a save percentage of over .940 this past season to go along with a goals-against average of 1.79.
“To me, the award is a culmination of all the work I’ve put in over the years,” Connolly said. “And while one person wins it, that person could not have done it without her teammates. I am so blessed to have such incredible support from my team and really the award is a reflection of how far we’ve come together. While it was a great way to end my high school career, I think what I’ll remember most about high school hockey is the lifelong friendships and lasting memories I’ve made with my teammates. When Ms. Hockey was announced, honestly my first reaction was, ‘Oh no, that means I have to give a speech in front of all these people.’ Once that moment passed though, I just felt a wave of pride sweep over me as I realized how honored I was to be chosen from such an amazing group of hockey players. There was that same feeling of just being so honored when the Jessie Vetter Award was announced as well.”
The awards were well deserved. During the regular season, the goaltending prodigy faced 30 or more shots on net 11 times. On two occasions, Connolly found herself steering away more than 50 shots in a game. Versus Bay Area, Connolly stopped 52 of 53 shots and posted a similar performance against Fond Du Lac where she stopped 47 of the 50 shots sent her way.
Despite the barrage of pucks, Connolly still managed to post five shutouts and help her team to a final regular season record of 12-7-3. Even more impressive, when totaling up Connolly’s numbers over the last two years (junior and senior seasons), out of 1,363 shots faced, she stopped 1,290 of them (.940 save percentage) to go along with nine shutouts.
“I try to make my game simple,” Connolly said when asked about her keys to success. “A big focus with my goalie coaches has been to simplify everything, meaning going back to the basics and only doing what is necessary to make a save. We also work a lot on body and hand positioning to make it easier to cut off the trajectory of the puck, and I give them all the credit for teaching me how to make goaltending a lot easier and more efficient. My approach to games is usually very calm and loose, which is a strength when playing a position that is so mentally demanding. I like to have fun and mess around before games with my teammates; it helps with nerves and reminds me that hockey is supposed to be fun.”
“I’m most proud about the fact that she has always been among the hardest working, if not the hardest working, player on any of her teams,” Brian Connolly said. “Even when she was the only goalie and technically had the job ‘locked up,’ it didn’t matter. She has always been focused on seeing how good she can get, not just getting by.
“She is a goalie and a leader that other teammates rally around and are drawn to. That explains her being captain for all three years of the Lightning’s existence and the fierce loyalty shown her by her Team Wisconsin teammates who are her opponents during the WIAA season. It’s just so gratifying to see them reunited throughout the season and in the postseason. A big part of that loyalty and friendship she garners from teammates is that she never blames a teammate for a goal. She will read the play, direct traffic and take charge when necessary, but she never sulks, pouts, speaks badly or cops an attitude against others when things go against her. She deeply appreciates her defensemen and some of her closest friendships are with defensemen from around the state.”
Don’t expect the momentum to stop anytime soon. Just recently at the Junior-Senior Festival, as a member of Section 4, Connolly played three games in net and faced 33 shots from the best skaters in the state. She stopped all 33.
Next season, Connolly will take her talents to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a Division III program. Little Erin? Not so little anymore.
Andrew Vitalis writes columns in LPH geared towards Wisconsin hockey. He can be reached at lphprep@yahoo.com.
