The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) has announced Dawson Groen of the 100 Mile House Wranglers as its Rookie of the Week, for the period ending Oct.12/25.
The Winnipeg, Man., native was outstanding in goal for the Wranglers stopping 65 of 66 shots for a stingy .985 save percentage and an incredible 0.50 goals against average. Groen had a 41-save shutout in a 1-0 win over the Columbia Valley Rockies, then saved 24 of 25 shots in a 4-1 win over the Kamloops Storm.
“It was great, we weren’t having the greatest start to the season so I really wanted to see the guys happy with a big win,” says Groen. “The guys did a great job. Most of the shots were from the outside so they made my job easy.”
Groen was calm in both games and was always ready to face shots. His rebound control was strong and a big part of his and their success.
“He’s been great, he’s been the backbone for us and has really taken the net and run with it,” says Wranglers head coach-general manager Levi Stuart. “He’s continuing to be a calming presence back there making big and timely saves.”
The six-foot, 170-pound goalie does a lot of work with goalie coach Nathan Wolfe, especially on the mental side. That’s a big part of it for Groen, who shows the ability to battle and make the big saves when they need to be made.
Stuart added that Groen is a great farm kid, who wears cowboy boots and is great with doing mechanical work on cars.
