THUNDER BAY – Last month, Christian Cicigoi did something no other Lakehead Thunderwolves goaltender had done — post a shutout in his OUA regular-season debut.
Not Grant McCune, not Chris Whitley, not Kyle Moir, not Alex Dupuis and not Jeff Bosch.
That’s pretty impressive for a netminder who came to camp hoping to impress, knowing there were two goaltenders ahead of him in the pecking order in Max Wright and Brock Aiken.
A strong pre-season convinced coach Andrew Wilkins to give the 21-year-old Cicigoi, a graduate for the Thunder Bay Kings program who spent three seasons in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and last season with Haliburton in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, the opening-night start.
Thirty saves later and he was in the record books.
“Obviously I’m a confident person, but I’m just taking it day-by-day, just trying to win the day. When my opportunity came up, I was just looking to make the most out of it. The guys in front of me have been playing really well and helping me ease into it,” Cicigoi said earlier this week, after being named LU hockey’s player of the month for October.
A sixth-round pick of the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion in 2017, Cicigoi didn’t enjoy much success in major junior, losing all seven contests he played in 2019-20, with a 6.24 goals against average to boot.
But it’s really the lone aberration on his post-Kings resume, which includes a 25-11-0 record last season in Haliburton, tied for the most wins in the OJHL, and a 2.32 goals against average, seventh-best in the 21-team circuit.
His numbers are even better through five games with the surprising Thunderwolves, a team that sits in first place in the OUA West ahead of this weekend’s Fort William Gardens visit by fellow front-runner Toronto Metropolitan University.
Cicigoi has a 3-2-0 record with a sparkling 2.17 goals against average and a .942 save percentage, second-best in the entire OUA.
“The play is a little faster and the players have gotten a little stronger, but ultimately the game stays the same,” Cicigoi said. “My job is the same, to stop the puck. Our team has given me a major opportunity and they’re making my job very easy. It’s really fun to be a part of.”
Wilkins, who plans to have Cicigoi between the pipes on Friday night against the Rams, said Cicigoi showed he deserved the opportunity in pre-season and hasn’t made the veteran bench boss second-guess his decision yet.
“Each night he’s played he’s given us a really good chance,” Wilkins said. “I think the way his training camp went and just the way he comes to the rink and prepares, I think he earned that spot. On top of that, we have two other really good goalies waiting to play as well.
“Max has played exceptionally well and Brock played well in pre-season and has a track record of winning games. It’s a good problem to have, but I think Christian, at the start of the season, has earned that spot.”
Wilkins said his rookie goaltender is super competitive and engaged during the games, whether between the pipes or on the bench.
“I would call him a bit of a gamer,” Wilkins said. “His habits are really good in practice. Technically he’s pretty solid. He seems to make tough saves, but when there are opportunities for other teams to score in great areas, he seems to be very calm in the net as well.”
Cicigoi and the Thunderwolves host TMU on Friday and Saturday night at the Gardens, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. for both games.
