QMJHL: Mooseheads’ iron man Fucale sets record for wins by a rookie goalie

GATINEAU, Que. — Perhaps the only thing Zachary Fucale could be weary of is questions about how he has defied all expectations of how much a 16-year-old goalie is supposed to play.

What the Halifax Mooseheads iron-man goalie, who on Wednesday set a QMJHL record for wins by a rookie netminder, knows for certain is a player on a streak has to respect the streak. So even though he's played in 49 consecutive games, counting five in the world under-17 championship, Fucale is not about to alter his routine. Don't fix what is not broken, eh?

"I don't want to change the way I'm going just because I'm playing more," Fucale said after making 21 saves on Wednesday night in Halifax's 6-2 win over the Gatineau Olympiques, earning his 28th win of the season to break the QMJHL rookie record he'd briefly shared with current Edmonton Oilers farmhand Olivier Roy. "You have to be at the top of your game all the time, no matter how many games you play or your stamina level.

"I don't really have an explanation why I'm not tired," the Rosemère, Que., native added. "I'm just riding a wave, it's a great time, I'm having so much fun."

Fucale was the first goalie selected in the QMJHL entry draft last spring when the Mooseheads took him 11th overall, so that speaks to his vast potential. However, he wasn't expected to be the every-night goalie this soon. But 19-year-old Anthony Terenzio has been out since October with a variety of health problems, meaning Fucale has no idea when he'll ever get a night off.

"I don't really want one," he said. "Like I've said before, I'm just riding a wave. At the beginning of the year, I never thought I'd be out there playing so many games. It's a great honour and I take big pride in contributing as much as I can."

The conventional wisdom with 16-year-old goalies is to have them either back up a veteran or get experience in a lower-tier league. It is possible that goaltending's evolution into a postion that is more about technique than acrobatics and athleticism might cut down on the fatigue factor. Fucale moves fluidly enough from post to post that he doesn't wear down.

"At first, I would have said if he gets 25 or 30 games total, it's going to be a pretty good season for him," Mooseheads coach Dominique Ducharme said. "The thing is he doesn't get tired because he's really calm in net. And he's very good technically in his movements. He sees plays coming and stays in front of the puck and is not wasting energy. And he's just getting better.

"Every week he's getting more comfortable," adds Ducharme, who's helped the Mooseheads jump to sixth overall in his first season behind the bench after finishing 15th last season. "He he likes the challenge, enjoys being on the ice. It's real nice to see him get that record. He really deserves it."

The Mooseheads are a potent offensive team with prospects such as Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Frk and Jonathan Drouin, as well as 20-year-old Vancouver Canucks draft pick Alexandre Grenier. So they do spend a lot of time on the attack. Fucale, who has a 3.14 goals-against average and .892 save percentage, has faced 40 or more shots only three times during his iron-man streak.

That said, his economy of motion was evident on his biggest saves of the night on Wednesday, when the Mooseheads took over in the final 35 minutes after going down 2-0 at the Robert Guertin Arena. In the first period, he got over quickly to stop a deflection by Gatineau's Adam Chapman after a fake shot and pass from the centre point froze Halifax's defenders. He also got went to to his left early in the third period to rob Anthony Cortese when a Gatineau tally would have pulled the hosts within a goal.

"That one in the third period was the most important for me," Fucale said. "At that exact time, it was 4-2. If that goes in, it's a new game and you can't give Gatineau any space, they came from 0-3 down against us earlier in the year."

Fucale noted he might not have made that save in September. So score one for the accelerated learning program he's been in since Terenzio went down.

"I'm not the same person that I was at the beginning of the year. I'm really working hard with my goalie coach [Eric Raymond]. Playing a lot has helped me adapt to the league faster. My movements have just been improving throughout all the games. Confidence is higher and that's making the difference for me."

Fucale, who will not turn 18 until May 28, the day after the MasterCard Memorial Cup final, is a candidate to be in goal for Canada's entry in this summer's Memorial of Ivan Hlinka under-18 tournament. Meantime, with the Mooseheads just one point ahead of the Rimouski Océanic, he could have eight more starts to add to the rookie wins record.

"It's a great honour to be on that list of great names," he said. "There's Pascal Leclaire, J.S. Giguere, Marc-Andre Fleury... Patrick Roy, obviously. I want to keep improving on it. It belongs to the team. Without the other 23 guys on the team, this can never occur. The best friend of a goalie is all of his teammates."

The only lingering question. When and if Fucale ever rests, will he be able to find the ball cap every backup goalie wears?

"No, I lost that one," he said with a laugh. "We all had a CCM hat in our stall at the beginning of year. I think it's still there. No, it's not lost." And with Fucale in goal, neither are the Mooseheads.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: The Canadian Press).