It was a tough pill to swallow for Dawson MacAuley when Medicine Hat Tigers head coach-GM Shaun Clouston told him in October that he was the odd man out in the blue paint.
"It was a really rough day," said MacAuley. "I worked hard to make that team and it was a big goal for me. I was very disappointed in not getting the chance to stay with the team."
As Alexander Graham Bell put it in his famous poem: "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us," MacAuley had two different paths ahead of him.
Although it would have been easy to throw in the towel, the goaltender got back on his feet and aimed to make the best of his opportunity with the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
"At the time, I knew I had to put it behind me and look to the future," said MacAuley. "When you're down you feel like giving up. But I had to be positive and look to go to Yorkton and work hard."
Roughly six months later, MacAuley is now a household name among the SJHL faithful. Throughout 24 regular-season games, the Prince Albert native showed that he is one of the top goaltenders in the league, posting a 16-6-1 record with a 2.14 average and a .921 save percentage.
Humble and modest, MacAuley credits his teammates for his success in the blue paint.
"I think I've been doing good here because my team is letting me see the puck and are clearing away rebounds," he said. "That's what has made us a successful team. Everyone works hard and helps each other out."
Terriers head coach Trent Cassan would have liked to see MacAuley graduate to the major junior ranks, but he was more than happy to have him back between his squad's pipes.
"You always want to see your players reach their goals," said the head coach. "Dawson really wanted to make the Tigers. I was hoping he would make the team and play well in Medicine Hat. But when he didn't make it, I was excited to bring him back. He has been a huge difference-maker for our team."
In the second season, MacAuley has been dynamite, maintaining a 2.02 average and a .927 save percentage in 13 games. As he has all year, the 18-year-old has used his 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame to his advantage, leaving opponents little to shoot at.
"My size gives me an advantage," said MacAuley. "It allows me to stay deeper in my crease and cut down the angles better. It's a big part of my game."
Cassan gives high praise to his goaltender for his outstanding play in the playoffs.
"Dawson has been our best player in the post-season," said Cassan. "He gives us a chance to win every game. He showed up every night against Melville and proved to be very consistent. He's a valuable guy to have on your team."
It would be fitting for MacAuley to end the year with a major high by winning the Canalta Cup over the Humboldt Broncos after hitting a major low at the start of the year.
"They are a good team and it won't be easy, but I know we can pull it off," said MacAuley. "We have the right guys in the room and are determined to win it."
As for next year, MacAuley has his sights set on the Dub. The combination of the Tigers losing their current starter Cam Lanigan, because he will graduate to the pros, in the off-season and other examples of late-blooming goaltenders gives him hope to crack Medicine Hat as a 19-year-old.
"I still want to make the WHL," he said. "They are going to lose Lanigan, so there should be an open spot. Goaltenders also tend to take longer to develop. I think I'm really getting going now and should be ready to make the jump next year."
