 | ||
| | |||||
| ||||||
|
| | | |
Kaltiainen answers call
By Bob Monahan, Globe Correspondent, 2/4/2003
Kaltiainen was drafted by the Bruins two years ago and expressed his desire to attend a college in the United States. A member of the Bruins front office dropped a dime (or was it 50 cents?) to call BC coach Jerry York. ''I appreciated it,'' said York. ''Matti was a solid goalie who the Bruins liked a lot, and to me it was a heads-up call. About that time, Matti was playing on the Finnish national team [in a tournament] in Lake Placid. ''I went to Placid to see him play and I liked him a lot. We had one goalie in Tim Kelleher and needed another, so I talked to Matti and we got along pretty well.'' Kaltiainen, who made 24 saves last night, said, ''Playing in Finland, you never hear about the universities in the United States. When the Bruins drafted me, I felt good and asked them about universities. They told me about Boston College and I paid them a visit. Coach York was very nice and I liked the college and the players a lot. So here I am.'' Last year, Kaltiainen lost the Beanpot opener to Boston University, 5-2, but blanked Harvard, 4-0, in the consolation game. He had the best save percentage among the four goalies in the tournament (.913), which earned him the Eberly Award. He's in the running for it again. ''If I were to win the Eberly again, that would be fine,'' said Kaltiainen. ''But only if we win the Beanpot. I'd rather win the Beanpot than the Eberly.'' Kaltiainen was quick to praise his teammates. ''I have some great players in front of me,'' he said. ''The forwards forecheck and backcheck. My defensemen are solid and I feel very comfortable because of them.'' BC goaltending coach Jim Logue said, ''Matti is a fine goalie, and just watch him improve. Last year he played too low and gave opponents more space to shoot at. This year he's standing up more and playing smarter. He has plenty of size and range and I want him to take advantage of that. And he is.'' York said, ''He's doing a much better job playing the angles and he's a lot smarter.'' The tall Finn said, ''I'm getting good coaching and I appreciate it. Playing for BC is extra nice. If the Bruins want to see me play, they don't have far to go. Being here at BC is good for everybody.''
This story ran on page F6 of the Boston Globe on 2/4/2003.
|
|
|
ecause of a local telephone call, Matti Kaltiainen is playing goal for Boston College. That's a pretty cheap price for a 6-foot-2-inch, 207-pound goalie from Finland who played a major role as Boston College defeated Northeastern, 5-2, in the Beanpot semifinals last night.