Byline: Lindsay Kramer Staff writer
From the vantage point of Macon, Ga., Chris Madden could start to see the end of his career taking shape last year.
He didn't like that view, so he looked for a new perspective. He's found one in Milwaukee.
A year after his playing days seemed to be grinding to a halt in the East Coast Hockey League, Madden, a goalie from Liverpool, is once again sneering at the odds. He's found a home as a backup with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, once again continuing a career that seems to be chugging along on a year-by-year basis.
'If you give up, then that's it. You have to find something else to do,' said Madden, 23. 'I've never had anything else I was interested in. If somebody wants to tell you you can't play somewhere, the thing you want to do is turn it around.'
By this point, Madden should be dizzied by the sport's revolutions. He was drafted by Carolina in the fourth round of the 1998 draft but never reached contract terms with that team. He turned in a decent 2000-01 season with Hamilton of the AHL - 3.12 goals-against, .909
save percentage - but was stuck behind a couple of prospects and was easily discarded at the end of that season.
Madden dropped down to the Macon Whoopee of the ECHL last season, where he went 20-24-7 with a 2.90 goals-against and a .913 save percentage.
'I had a bad day here and there, but you can't just go there and count the days. You have to have a little fun,' Madden said. 'There's still some plusses in it (the ECHL). Last year was almost a 40-shot night every night. That helps out, too.'
At least a few people must have noticed. There is a glut of quality pro goalies on the market these days, so Madden had little leverage. But Nashville was looking for some depth on its affiliate in Milwaukee, so it invested in Madden.
But how much Madden gets to play is another issue. Milwaukee is riding starter Jan Lasak pretty hard. Madden has played in only four games, with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
'I haven't gotten much ice time here so far, but I think that will change,' Madden said. 'Being here, working in practice every day, has been good so far. This year, I am happy to be going in the right direction.'
Morrisville coach searches
to find championship form
The smartest thing Morrisville College hockey players might do on their Thanksgiving break would be to skip their extra helpings of gluttony.
Mustangs coach Earl Utter sent them on their way with stern words. Utter was greatly peeved by his team's 4-3 loss to Erie Community College Friday, a game in which Morrisville gave up two short-handed goals.
Utter said his team got away from its system, one that ideally demands the Mustangs outwork their opponent from the start and then use their speed, skill and conditioning to take over late. Utter vowed that his players would return to basics in their post-vacation practices.
'We didn't hit (against Erie). If you don't get in there and control lanes and win one-on-one battles, you're not going to win,' Utter said. 'When we come back from Thanksgiving break, guys are going to get whipped into shape again. It's not going to be a comfortable week.'
The rantings of a demanding coach? Perhaps. But most instructive about the ire is that the loss was Morrisville's first of the year following a 6-0 start. Such are the standards when you are coming off an NJCAA championship, as are the Mustangs.
Utter has 16 returners from that title team, so Morrisville should know a thing or two about what it takes to win. But Utter is still antsy. He's waiting for leadership to emerge, a force that compels players to forgo freelancing in favor of the unglamorous grudge work.
Overall, Utter thinks his team has been playing 'sporadically.'
'A little bit of that is guys saying, 'Yeah, that system works but I want to try to do something else,'' Utter said. 'They haven't totally bought into the system yet. Every once in awhile they want to do their own thing. I see this team as probably the most talented team we've had. If we can come up with the leadership we need, I think we can do some good things.'
The Mustangs should have extra incentive to heed their coach. If Morrisville gets that far, it will play the NJCAA championship March 1-2 on its home rink.
