By John Lachmann
INDIANAPOLIS – Goalie Ryan McKay will not come to Oxford until next fall, but he showcased his talent less than 100 miles from the Miami University campus on Saturday.
The RedHawks commit stopped 21 shots to lead Green Bay to a 5-1 win over Indiana at Pepsi Coliseum. McKay was named the second star of the game.
With his numbers this season and Miami losing all three of its goaltenders to graduation after this season, McKay has to be considered the favorite to start between the pipes for Miami in 2012-13.
McKay has won four straight starts, allowed just three goals on 77 shots (.961 save percentage) in that span.
And those numbers are not much of an aberration. McKay has a 1.65 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage, posting a record of 9-2.
This is McKay’s third season with the Gamblers, and he has improved in each campaign. His GAA’s went from 2.20 in 2009-10 to 2.00 last season, and his save percentages were .909 and .928, respectively.
Assumedly because of his heavy recent workload and the Gamblers’ lead, McKay was lifted with 8:37 remaining in the third period.
The other Miami commit in the game, forward Sean Kuraly, picked up a secondary assist on Indiana’s lone goal.
Kuraly centered a pass from the trapezoid and after a first scoring attempt failed, the Ice’s Daniil Tarasov beat McKay high on the glove in traffic.
Kuraly is also expected to come to Oxford next fall. The 6-feet-2, 196 pounder – a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks whose father is the all-time leading career goal scorer at Miami with 101 markers – also was second on Indiana with four shots.
Like McKay, Kuraly is also a third-year USHL player who has improved each season. He played just five games in 2009-10 and recorded three points, and in 51 games last season finished with eight goals and 21 assists.
Kuraly has already surpassed his 2010-11 goal total with nine, and his helper on Saturday gave him 10 on the season for 19 points in 15 games.
In his previous three games, Kuraly had five goals and an assist.
A closer look the future RedHawks in action on Saturday:
RYAN McKAY
Height: 5-11. Weight: 201. Age: 19 (will be 20 at the start of 2012-13 season).
GP: 11. W: 9. L: 2. GAA: 1.65. SV%: .934.
Analysis: This was the first time I’d seen McKay play, so while he obviously played well, I am bearing that in mind when analyzing his play.
McKay is a stocky goalie, but his build looks like a combination of muscle and baby fat. Regardless, his mobility is fine and his positioning was excellent. He was in the perfect spot to make a save for each of the shots he faced, and the goal he allowed was on a great shot by Tarasov, who has a bright pro career ahead of him.
McKay is fearless on odd-man chances, stopping a breakaway with a gutsy poke check. Fearless and super confident actually describes his overall play – he didn’t get rattled when Kuraly inadvertently whacked him in the head with his stick while play was going on.
Notes from Saturday: First period—Made a great read on a crossing pass and denied a point-blank shot to key a 10-save effort in the first 14 minutes and turned aside 13 shots overall in the opening stanza. Second period—Saw just three shots in the first nine minutes and four for the entire frame, all low-percentage chances. Third period—Made a solid blocker save on a Kuraly shot, got beat for Indiana’s only goal on a high wrister to the glove side, poke checked successfully to shut down a breakaway, denied another breakaway by stacking the pads before being lifted with 8:37 left.
Future at Miami: With none of Miami’s goalies back next season, the door is open for McKay to become the RedHawks’ next outstanding starting goalie. He’s a year older than his competition for the job, fellow Miami commit Jay Williams, and his numbers are clearly superior.
Again, this analysis is just based on one game and three years of stats, but if McKay remains fundamentally sound and brings his poise and confidence to Miami, this kid has a chance to be a special player in Oxford.
SEAN KURALY
Height: 6-2. Weight: 196. Age: 18 (will be 19 at the start of 2012-13 season).
GP: 15. G: 9. A: 10. Pts.: 19. Plus-minus: +6. PIM: 8.
Analysis: This was the fourth time I’ve seen Kuraly play and the first time this season.
In 2010-11 it appeared Kuraly experienced a growth spurt early in the season. He looked like he was skating in molasses in the preseason, but he got better as the year went along.
This season he looks bigger, better and more confident. He likes to go into the trapezoid area to the goalie’s right and set up scoring chances, which resulted in Indiana’s lone goal. His stamina, at this level at least, is excellent. He played several shifts that were well over a minute and showed no ill effects.
He is used extensively on both the power play and penalty kill, and appears to be at least adequate defensively at this point. Kuraly’s size helps him bring the puck through the neutral zone, although
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