Ask anyone that follows hockey and they’ll tell you that a team will find success only as far as their goalie can take them.
If that’s the case, then the Yorkton Xerox Terriers are in good hands heading into the 2016 Western Canadian Bantam ‘AAA’ Championships in Okotoks, as second year Bantam starter Nolan Maier is certainly one of - if not the best - goalie of his age around. “Nolan has been outstanding for us this year,” said Xerox Terrier head coach Dan Cross. “He’s given us a chance to win in games that we might not have had our best effort in.”
One such example was in the final of the Prince Albert Bantam ‘AAA’ Showcase, where Maier backstopped the Terriers to a 3-0 win over the Calgary Northstar Sabres despite Yorkton being outshot two-to-one the entire game. “That shows you how important he is to our game, our team,” mentioned Cross, adding that in his books, no one compares to his goaltender. “I think he is the best goalie in Saskatchewan, so it’s a little bit of a safety net to have him back there for us.”
From a player perspective, having Maier in net is about as comforting as a warm blanket on a cold night. “When he’s in net you have all the trust in the world in that guy because you know he’ll back you up if you make a mistake and he’ll just be there to fix it for you and help you through,” offered Maier’s long-time teammate Zach McIntyre. “He’s probably the best goalie in the league and having him back there allows us to play with more confidence.”
Cross and McIntyre’s statements of Maier being the top goalie in Saskatchewan are backed up by stats.
Throughout the 2015/16 regular season, Maier was nearly impossible to score on, putting together a record of 13-0-2 with a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.54. In the playoffs, the talented net minder went 7-1 and put together a GAA of 2.00 to help lead Yorkton to their third consecutive SBAAHL league title, and first under Dan Cross.
But when asked about his personal success throughout the season, the talented goalie was quick to let it be known that it wasn’t just him out there. “The season went really good for me personally, but I can’t take all the credit,” said Maier. “My defencemen and my team in front of me definitely helped me to have a really good season, and without them I might not done as well as I did.”
True, but Maier’s play has still been a strong point for the Xerox Terriers this past season; something that has not gone unnoticed by WHL teams, many of whom have contacted the young goaltender ahead of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft this summer. “There have been a few teams from ‘the Dub’ that have talked to me. Teams like Swift Current, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Seattle, Red Deer, Victoria,” stated Maier, adding that although it feels nice to have so many WHL teams interested in him, the draft is something that is not currently on his mind. “Right now, I’m focusing on the Westerns, then after that maybe I’ll think about the WHL.”
As for the Westerns, the Bantam Xerox Terriers need Maier to be at his very best should they want to succeed. “We’re going to be playing the top teams in Western Canada and we’re definitely going to have our hands full, so we need him to play like he can,” suggested Cross, continuing, “He’s a very composed goaltender and he doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him, even if he lets in a weak goal you can count on him to be strong for the rest of the game and that’s what we expect this weekend in Okotoks.”
