Northern Michigan Ices Game Against Rivals With First Goalie Goal In Program History

With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Michigan Tech Huskies pulled their goalie as they attempted to chip away at what was then a 4-2 deficit against their rivals: the Northern Michigan Wildcats. This move gave NMU goaltender Atte Tolvanen the window he needed to make history. Less than a minute after the substitution was made, Tolvanen saved two shots and took an opportunity on the second save to attempt a shot himself at the empty net. The puck glided into the goal with ease and sealed what eventually became a 5-3 victory for his team. It was the first goalie goal in program history.

The goal was impressive in its own right, but surely what made the moment even sweeter for Tolvanen was not only that it came against his team’s rivals, but also that he’d tried this before and it was not as successful.

Per the Daily Mining Gazette:

“I realized there was no one coming at me, so I figured I might as well take a shot,” Tolvanen said. “I’ve never done it before, so that makes it even better. And doing it against Tech makes it special.”

[...]

“I tried [a shot] in Bowling Green once earlier this year, but I missed it by like five feet,” he said. “I told the guys I’d get it in the next time.”

It’s always good to have a goalie that keeps his word like that.

h/t Charles