It’s not that he’s a poor loser, it’s just that former Powell River Kings and Penticton Vees goaltender Michael Garteig is simply not that practiced at it.
He went 92-23-3 in three BCHL seasons as a starter and now in his senior season at Quinnipiac University, he’s compiled a 59-21-11 mark including his 13-0-2 record so far this season.
All in, it’s a .756 winning percentage since he started playing Junior hockey in 2009.
His most recent stretch, a 7-0-2 run last month, has earned him the Hockey Commissioners Association NCAA Player of the Month honour. The native of Prince George, B.C. is the first BCHL goalie alum to take the main national monthly recognition.
For November Garteig led all goalies in his conference – ECAC Hockey – in games played (9), minutes (528:51), wins (7) and shutouts (2). He had a .946 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average for the month after allowing only 11 goals in the nine games.
Garteig was also named ECAC Hockey’s goalie of the month for the second-straight month. It was the fifth such conference recognition he’s received in his career.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound netminder helped the Bobcats to wins over conference rivals Harvard and Dartmouth and made 36 saves against St. Lawrence in a 0-0 draw where he made a save that was featured on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10.
With his next win, Garteig will take over the all-time wins record in Quinnipiac history. Last season, he established a new school record with his 11th career shutout. He has four more this season.
Garteig earned back-to-back BCHL Top Goaltender Awards in 2011 with Powell River (where he established BCHL records with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage) and in 2012 with Penticton on the way to an RBC Cup national title.
