Sometimes, it鈥檚 simply a short memory that makes a difference between success and failure.
Matthew Galajda displayed that to perfection on Saturday night, rebounding from a dreadful start 鈥� five goals on 15 shots 鈥� in a 7-3 loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday to recording his third shutout of the playoffs in a 2-0 victory the very next evening in which he stopped all 39 shots.
鈥淭hey got five goals and that鈥檚 life,鈥� Galajda said bluntly of the scenario he faced. 鈥淲e鈥檙e playing the next day anyway and whatever happens, happens. After each goal you have to reset your mind.
鈥淎fter the fifth, it wasn鈥檛 my day, I guess, but you have to get ready to play the next game because that鈥檚 big, too. You just try to forget about it and move on.鈥�
It鈥檚 the only attitude a goalie can have each and every night he stands his ground between the pipes.
鈥淔or sure, you can鈥檛 be thinking about those things the whole night. You have to forget about it and try and stop the next puck, that鈥檚 what I have been trying to do throughout these entire playoffs,鈥� said Galajda, who is set to join Cornell University next season.
He鈥檚 done it remarkably well, leading the sa国际传媒 Hockey League in save percentage at .939 and the three shutouts. His 2.02 goals-against average is second best.
Galajda also has his Grizzlies tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven semifinal with Games 3 and 4 set for tonight and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at The Q Centre.
鈥淵ou always have to be on your game. You can鈥檛 take a shift off,鈥� he said of playing the position. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure it affects some people if they do have one, but for goalies, a bad goal can just kill them because it gets in their head, thinking about what they could have done better. There鈥檚 time to do that after the game, during the game you have to move on.鈥�
And he did so quickly in Game 1, actually pulling himself from the game after discussing it with GM and head coach Craig Didmon after the first period in which Victoria trailed 4-1, thanks to a late Grizzlies goal.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 my night. The team needed a rebound. I talked to Craig at the first intermission and I said one more and we should give Tony [Rehm, the backup] a chance because it鈥檚 not going our way tonight,鈥� said Galajda, a native of Aurora, Ont.
鈥淚 wanted to keep battling after we scored that one goal, but they scored really quickly in the second, a back-door goal and it just wasn鈥檛 my day. Tony had a great second half of the game and it was good that Tony saw his first playoff action.鈥�
Galajda will be back between the pipes trying to better Mark Sinclair at the other end of the rink. He hopes to be doing it in front of another large crowd after the Grizzlies drew 1,705 in Game 7 of the previous series.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping we can now win these next two at The Q for our fans. That would be huge for them,鈥� said Galajda. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had great success at home. The last game was a huge boost with the big crowd. The team took advantage of that and we loved playing before everybody there.鈥�
