44 // VARSITY March 20, 2014
G
rowing up, Joel Rumpel was more of a Pat-
rick Roy kind of guy.
It stands to reason that a kid from Sas-
katchewan with big-league dreams of becoming a
goaltender would look up to a Quebec native that
was leaving his mark as one of the best to ever play
the position.
The Canadian connection is obvious but, as it
turns out, that kid has grown
up to actually have more in
common with one of Roy's
American contemporaries,
New York Rangers legend
Mike Richter. But how was
Rumpel, who was 12 years
old when Roy announced
his retirement in May 2003,
supposed to know he would
be occupying the same
crease that Ricther once patrolled for the Badgers?
It's been a decade since Roy untied his skates for
the last time ― Richter followed suit less than four
months later after suffering a pair of concussions ―
but Rumpel still has yet to find a goalie as worthy of
his admiration.
"Growing up, Patrick Roy was always my favorite,"
he said. "Then he retired and I haven't really picked
a new favorite goalie yet."
By the time this season comes to an end, Richter
just might be able to win Rumpel over. That's be-
cause Rumpel is among the candidates for the inau-
gural Mike Richter Award, an honor that will be pre-
sented annually to college
hockey's most outstanding
goaltender.
Besides wearing the same
colors that Richter donned
with the Badgers in 1986-
87, Rumpel can boast one of
the nation's top resumes this
year. A second-team All-Big
Ten selection, he trails only
Minnesota goalie Adam Wil-
cox in each of the major statistical categories.
"The biggest thing he's grown on is playing the
puck, especially this year, he's grown leaps and
bounds with that," junior defenseman Jake McCabe
said of Rumpel, his third-year roommate. "You don't
"WE WON THE LAST-EVER WCHA, OR
THE LAST ONE WE WERE IN, AND WE
WANT TO WIN THE FIRST BIG TEN,"
RUMPEL SAID. "THAT'S WHAT WE ARE
GOING THERE TO DO, AND THAT'S
WHAT WE HAVE OUR GOAL SET ON."
DAVID
STLUKA
