It is often said that goaltending wins championships and if that is true then the Battlefords North Stars are in a good position to repeat as Canalta Cup champions.
Having lost Joel Grzybowski, their workhorse from last year, the North Stars needed to turn to someone else this time around and while Adam Dmyterko has seen the majority of the workload between the pipes for the Battlefords this year, 19-year-old rookie Parker Rey has been brilliant when called upon.
The Ludington, MI, product has appeared in seven games for the league-leading North Stars and with shutouts in two of his last three outings he has lowered his goals-against average to a dazzling 1.61 while improving his save percentage to an impressive .942. Rey has also chipped in with three assists to provide some offence to his solid defence.
Although he was the goaltender of record in the Battlefords’ lone loss this year, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Rey has not allowed more than two goals in his other six starts – all victories.
Prior to making the move north of the border, Rey played with the Esmark Stars where he had a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage in 35 appearances. As a 17-year-old, Rey saw action in 18 games with the Cleveland Barons, an under-18 squad, and during that span he posted a 2.25 GAA and .938 save percentage.
The North Stars are beginning to run away from the pack with their 95 goals scored being done by committee and their 46 goals against in 21 games also the result of a total team effort. Success, however, does start in the crease and with Rey providing solid relief the North Stars will be a tough foe on any given night.
