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Junior goalie Michael Giugovaz wins first start days after attending 2 friends’ funerals in the same day
Anyone who saw Michael Giugovaz win his first start for the Peterborough Petes was probably already happy for the 17-year-old goalie.
All Giugovaz did was make 39 saves, which included stopping all 18 shots he faced in the second period, to help the Petes post their first win of the season by beating the Ottawa 67's, a team whose lineup likely includes two NHL first-round picks. There was also an added thrill of playing in a NHL arena, since Ottawa is using Scotiabank Place this season. It also turns out that netminder pulled it together and focused after attending two funerals in one day earlier in the week.
Long-time Petes beat writer Mike Davies has this touching story:
The Brampton native attended the funeral of Elizabeth Hulan the mother of one of his closest friends Cody Hulan. The same day he also attended the funeral of Gene Odulio a former classmate at Brampton's St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School who collapsed and died during a high school football game."It was very emotional, tough, going to two funerals on Tuesday," said Giugovaz. "I'm glad I was able to go and management let me go. I hope they both rest in peace and their families stay strong because I know it's difficult what they're going through."
... "It was hard to get over it but the guys are here to support me and the management is here to support me," he said. (Peterborough Examiner)
It's almost unimaginable to relate to the shock of being a teenager and saying goodbye to a peer, especially one whose death was so sudden. It's also true when a friend loses a parent at that age, since teens are emotionally vulnerable.
Learning about this definitely does make one respect Giugovaz, who had an outstanding Junior A season with the Georgetown Raiders last year, all the more. Perhaps the prospect of letting such a tough week affect his play was so daunting that it sharpened his focus. Goalies are supposed to be resolute and good at projecting invulnerability. Those are usually just cliches, but here is a case where it was totally true.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
