M. hockey's Leroux 'fell' into position as netminder

Having a 200-pound player skating at you with a stick and one hell of a slap shot makes you wonder why anybody would want to be a goaltender.

For sophomore standout Eric Leroux, it's precisely the challenge of fast breaks and quick pucks that keeps him in the net.

"I find goaltending to be interesting in that you'll always make a mistake, whether or not you get a shutout," Leroux said. "There are some mistakes that are made and the puck just didn't end up in the net on them, so there is always room to get better."

But Leroux didn't always relish the chance to stop a puck fired at 90 mph. In fact, he just kind of fell into the position.

"Like every other Canadian, I started in the parking lot of the housing area where we lived," Leroux said, "and ended up in net by default and just stayed there."

Growing up in Ontario, Leroux started skating around with a stick and puck when he was five and began playing organized ice hockey at age eight.

"The firemen flooded the playground of our elementary school one year and it turned to ice and we just went out there and clowned around," Leroux recalled about his early hockey beginnings.

The clowning around certainly paid off in high school, where he made his mark playing for the Stratford Cullitons' Mid-Western Junior Hockey League.

With Stratford, his 2.22 goals-against average and .925 save percentage earned him the league's Goaltender of the Year award, a league All-Star award, and a team MVP award.

He then brought his skill and drive to Princeton. Although Leroux started in only eight games last season, this season has really belonged to him. He has started and played in all the Tigers' games thus far, posting a 3.35 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

"He's really dedicated to improving his game," sophomore defender Seamus Young said. "He'll be out there having guys shoot at him even after practice."

Leroux's dedication and talent have kept the team in the game during slow starts and through tight matches. During the recent contest versus Vermont, Leroux held the fort during the crucial first ten minutes of the game while the opposition pelted the net, racking up 12 first period saves. He came out with equal success in Princeton's first match-up against Yale, keeping the Elis at bay not only in the first period but throughout the entire game and recording his first shutout of the season in the process.

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With 296 saves already racked up this season, his consistent performance in net has significantly solidified the defense and has contributed to the team's positive turnaround this season.

"Athletic, driven and intense," sophomore defender Brett Westgarth said when asked to describe Leroux. "I just think of him as a kid who comes to play all the time."

This intensity has been useful on and off the ice. Leroux has been known to get the team fired up before key games. Last year, his motivating abilities won him the dubious Neil McCann '03 Snap Show Award.

"It's a team-created annual award. I got it for getting a little heated before a game," Leroux said. "I don't know whether I deserved it or not. That's for the judges to decree and they felt I was worthy."

Although motivation, excitement and nerves may play a part in his pre-game mindset, one wonders if fear ever factors in.

"No," Leroux replied, "but I get really nervous before most games, although never on the ice. Once you hit the ice, the nervousness is gone."

Despite the speed of the players and pucks whizzing by the goal, Leroux has survived a long career of goaltending relatively unscathed — his most serious injuries have caused more inconvenience than pain.

"I pulled my hamstring pretty badly last year, twice. Now that really sucked because you have to sit down at a number of points throughout the day and that's a crucial area that ends up taking a lot of the brunt," Leroux admitted. "It made things difficult."

Through injuries, missed saves, and the elusive perfect game, Leroux maintains his passion for hockey, not in spite of these challeges, but because of them.

"It's exciting and nerve-wracking to know that you have to do your best," Leroux said.