He shoots, he scores! AJHL goalie scores rare goalie goal
History was made, sort of, in the Alberta Junior Hockey League Tuesday night when Spruce Grove Saints goaltender Tristan Martin scored an empty-net goal.
With the Saints leading 5-3, their opponent, the Grande Prairie Storm, pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.
With 50 seconds left in the third period, the puck was sent behind the Saints' net where Martin stopped it, then turned and lofted it down the ice into the empty net.
Martin's Spruce Grove teammates rushed over to congratulate him on the rare feat and what was his first goal.
“It was my first-ever crack at it in a game … so it was pretty cool,” Martin told CTV News on Wednesday.
Martin said he didn’t hesitate to try to score when he grabbed the puck behind the net.
“I was going for it. Then I got scared when the d-man jumped high at the blueline there and it just missed his glove but then it started curving back in towards the net. Then I was like, 'Oh no, it’s going in.'”
The AJHL told CTV News it believes it's the first time a goalie has shot the puck down the length of the ice to score a goal in the league's 58-year history.
However, AJHL Vice President Charla Flett added that Martin is not the first goalie to be credited with a goal.
Sherwood Park Crusaders goalie Jake Morrissey in February 2017 when he was the last player on his team to touch the puck when he made a save, before a Camrose Kodiaks defender accidentally passed it into his own empty net.
Fort McMurray Oil Barons netminder Jimmy Bernier was credited with two goals during the 2005/06 season, but the team chalks that up to a clerical error.
And, Olds Grizzlys goalie Glen Furgason was also credited with a goal way back in 1985/86.
Martin, 19, hales from St. Vincent, Alta. He has only been with the Spruce Grove Saints since a Dec. 2 trade with the Grizzlys.
After the 6-3 victory, the Saints sit in first place in the AJHL North Division with a 34-7-4 record. They continue a road trip in Whitecourt Wednesday night against the Wolverines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.