Gabe Antoni proving to be difference maker for the Jr. Blues

Gabe Antoni is 3-0-1 with the Jr. Blues in just
four starts so far. Four goals allowed; 122 saves.

Head coach Joe Dibble and his Springfield Junior Blues were approaching the second-half of the current 2011-2012 North American Hockey League season with a lot of heart and talent--but still it seemed that they lacked that certain "something" to be considered "top-tier", and a legitimate championship contender.

They have an offensive attack that is as relentless as any in the league, and can score with the best. They have excellent talent on shifting, they have a solid defensive foundation, and a pretty good special teams squad--but one thing that seemed to be lacking, which is one of the most important factors in winning a championship, is the man between the pipes -- the goalie.

Through the first 32 games of the season, Dibble used a trio of goalies; (Tyler Parks, Connor Girard, Caleb Neal) and while none of them played terrible, nor very bad, they just struggled at times that were unaffordable.

Tyler Parks has proven to be probably the best of the three, as he is 7-6-1 in fifteen starts and has allowed 44 goals against 456 shots, and he owns a save percentage of .903. Caleb Neal only lasted four games with the team, and he went 1-3 during the four starts. Neal allowed sixteen goals, and was allowing on average over four goals allowed per game before he was cut.

Then there was Connor Girard, who was the second-best to most spectators. He started sixteen games for Springfield, and while he owned a record of 4-11-0, he owned a 3.38 GAA (goals against average) and had a saves percentage of .900.

Well, on January 6, Dibble decided to make a change and the Junior Blues traded Girard away to the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) for another goalie in exchange, Gabe Antoni.

Antoni, who just turned twenty-years old on the day he was traded to Springfield, stands inbetween the pipes at 5'11, and 175 pounds. While he doesn't provide a huge body in the net, he certainly has the talent and quick enough instincts to make up for it and go a long way.

When he joined the Junior Blues, the team was riding a five-game losing streak to end the year of 2011, they owned a record of 12-20-1, were in fourth place in the MidWest division, and the team looked lost and didn't seem to have much confidence.

But that has changed--and in just four starts.

Antoni is 3-0-1 with the Blues and is looking like a force to be reckoned with in net. He has allowed just seven goals in 250 minutes, has 122 saves in his four games, and owns a save-percentage of .946 with a 1.68 goals against average--very impressive to say the least.

He is coming from the Dubuque Fighting Saints out of the USHL, and his success here with the Blues shouldn't be a big suprise. He started sixteen games for the Saints and was 10-4-1 with just 40 goals allowed, 305 saves, and a 2.65 goals against average.

He has helped improve Springfield's record to 15-20-2, and since he has been the starting goalie, the team has already jumped Coulee Region for third-place in the division.

Antoni, who is from Lansdale, Pennslyvania, has defeated the second-place Saint Louis Bandits' twice, Kalamazoo once, and then he also lost to Kalamazoo in a shootout--and with a very favorable second-half schedule, you have to be excited with what he could do for this team.

In his two starts against the Bandits, who have the best scoring offense in the division, he impressed everybody. Before Antoni became the starter, the Bandits' owned Springfield with a 6-1 record head-to-head. He allowed just three goals in the two wins, and the team outscored Saint Louis' 9-to-3.

As for his two against Kalamazoo, he allowed four against them, with two in each game. His only lost came in a shootout, and depsite the loss, he still only allowed two goals on 35 Kalamazoo shots.

We certainly have only had a small sample of what this kid can bring. In all reality, the kid could just be having some beginners luck and the fans of Springfield are just too excited over the kid after just four starts--but in his four starts, he has defeated one of the league's best and flat out put the Junior Blues on his back and rallied them into believing in themselves again.

I'm not going to say he's the best goalie in the NAHL, maybe not even on the team as we still have a good back-up in Tyler Parks', but what I do know is that since he has been apart of this Springfield team, he has raised the expectations, given the city and team a lot of hope, and has been showing hopefully a small sample of what he is here to do in the long run.