Matthew Murray

Aaron Vickers

Murray is a big-game stopper who was named top goaltender in the AJHL this season. He has a tendency to make some key second and third saves in traffic and off a flurry of shots, preventing some pucks from getting past him that probably would beat a lot of other first-save blocking goalies. A competitive netminder, he shows up ready to play and steal the show when needed. Murray reacts quickly and effectively with his pads, making the pad saves that are needed and deflecting the puck away as warranted. He is strong on his feet and seemingly maintains upright position when bumped and pushed for space. Murray digs in and pushes hard to get to the top of the crease. He loves to come out to play the puck, passing it to his defenseman, leaving it for them or making a hard pass to the wall. He moves well low and gets across the crease quickly. Murray takes small shuffles as needed to move across the crease in time with the puck movement around the zone. He is not without faults, though, as he isn’t always as quick to get up and get set for second chances or opportunities up high as he should be. He also tends to give up some juicy rebounds at times, but is right there to stop the second chance and/or is quick to smother the puck in tight.  (May 2016)