When it comes to goaltenders who have suited up in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League over the years, Taryn Kotchorek stands out above the rest.
The 20 year old from North Battleford has stymied opposing shooters on 14 occasions over the course of the last three seasons and now holds the league shutout record that was previously shared by former Weyburn Red Wings netminder A.J. Whiffen and former Flin Flon Bombers backstopper Zac Robidoux with 11 each.
It鈥檚 an impressive feat for a player who almost stepped away from between the posts on a competitive basis when he was in his second year of playing house league bantam hockey.
鈥淚 was playing a lot of high school sports at the Comp around that time and I was really having a lot of fun with that,鈥� Kotchorek said. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 really thought about playing with the North Stars or anything like that. I played with guys like Troy Gerein and Connor Manegre in pee wee AA, but I was cut from the bantam AA Barons after that.
鈥淚n my first year of midget AA with the Barons [2013-14], I was called up to the North Stars to back up as an affiliated player and I think that鈥檚 when it really hit me that I had a chance to be a part of the team.鈥�
Kotchorek, who has been playing hockey for 12 years and has been a goaltender for a decade after following in the footsteps of his father Mark, officially made the North Stars lineup for the 2015-16 season and hasn鈥檛 looked back.
鈥淚 met with [then head coach and general manager] Kevin Hasselberg in the off-season and he told me that it was my spot to lose,鈥� Kotchorek said. 鈥淚 battled as hard as I could during training camp to keep that roster spot and it worked out well for me.鈥�
鈥淚 think what the North Stars liked the most about it back then was just how highly competitive he was for his age,鈥� North Stars goaltending coach Travis Harrington said. 鈥淎s a smaller guy, he鈥檚 someone that鈥檚 always wanted to prove anyone wrong in the hockey world that has doubts or criticism about him, and we鈥檝e seen that with how well he鈥檚 played since joining the team.鈥�
After a 5-2 win over the Kindersley Klippers in the North Stars regular season home finale Thursday evening, Kotchorek had put together a 61-15-3-2 record with a 1.97 goals against average and a .925 save percentage over the last three years.
Although he didn鈥檛 play in the 2016 playoffs, Kotchorek was dazzling a year ago as he had a 9-0 record with a 2.04 goals against average and .925 save percentage to help the North Stars win their second league title and their first since 2000.
After being unable to play in last year鈥檚 Western Canada Cup due to a hand injury, Kotchorek is eager to get things started for another post-season run and help his squad reach the RBC Cup tournament in May.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e peaked yet as a team and that鈥檚 a good thing heading into this time of the year,鈥� Kotchorek said.
鈥淲e have a lot of guys in the room with experience from the last two seasons and I think that will be a big help for the players who are getting their first taste of what the playoffs are like. From finishing first in the league two years ago and getting knocked out early to going undefeated last year, we鈥檝e really seen both ends of the spectrum.鈥�
Along the way, Kotchorek has had three different head coaches he鈥檚 played under while with the North Stars as Hasselberg, Nate Bedford and Brandon Heck have all taken charge behind the bench.
鈥淎ll three guys have had different approaches to how they do things but I鈥檝e learned a lot from Kevin, Nate and Brandon,鈥� Kotchorek said. 鈥淓ach guy has different insights and that鈥檚 really helped me out along the way.鈥�
Kotchorek has also learned a lot from his fellow goaltenders with the North Stars, as he鈥檚 suited up alongside Tyler Fuhr, Joel Grzybowski, Kolby Matthews and Ryan Rewerts.
鈥淚 knew Ryan before I joined the North Stars and I learned a lot from him in my first year about what to expect at this level,鈥� Kotchorek said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play as much after Tyler came in at the 2016 trade deadline, but I hung out with him a lot and he really showed me the ropes, which is something I tried to do with Kolby when he was here to start this season.
鈥淒uring the last two seasons, Joel has gone up to play a little bit in the Western Hockey League and I鈥檝e been able to learn a lot from him about what to expect when you go up to a different team and adapt to new systems.鈥�
Having faced a bevy of players in his time in the league, a pair of blueliners have proven to be more enjoyable foes who Kotchorek has gone up against on a regular basis.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny but my teammate Levi Kleiboer is probably the toughest guy I鈥檝e matched up with,鈥� Kotchorek said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e roommates so we get into some pretty good battles in practice as we try to one-up each other.
鈥淚鈥檓 good friends with Bryce Fiske in Humboldt and we usually start chirping one another when we play each other.鈥�
No matter what happens in the playoffs for the North Stars, this will mark Kotchorek鈥檚 final season with his hometown club as he will be aging out of junior hockey at the end of the year.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 starting to set in a little bit that this is the end of my junior career, but we鈥檙e also coming up to the most exciting time of the year with the post-season getting underway, so there鈥檚 a mix of emotions to be sure,鈥� Kotchorek said.
鈥淲hen it comes to next year, I鈥檒l be going to post-secondary school no matter what but I鈥檓 hoping to play hockey somewhere. I鈥檝e been looking at a few ACAC [Alberta College Athletic Conference] programs, but my main focus right now is on the playoffs right now and helping our team repeat as champions.鈥�
