Hockey: Omaha's Teglia has plenty of protection in goal

Goalies wear more protective padding than any other hockey player. But their comfort level is highest with the extra protectors who skate in front of them.

At all levels of hockey, defensemen get defensive when they believe an opponent is getting too close to their teammate who's most responsible for keeping the puck out of the net. Scrums inside the crease often lead to bigger fights. In a sport known for being rough and tumble, it all might look like simply another reason for skaters to mix it up.

But the underlying message is a serious one: Don't mess with my goalie.

Omaha Lancers all-star goaltender Jeff Teglia appreciates how his teammates always do their best to keep him from taking unnecessary contact.

“It's great how well they protect me,” Teglia said. “It's everyone, not just one guy. When there's a guy whacking at the puck after I freeze it, I know someone will be there to get them away from me.”

Lancers defensemen Aaron Ave and Tom Craig take pride in making sure both Teglia and Omaha's other goalie, John Keeney, have that peace of mind.

“I do it so that Tegs can feel more comfortable and doesn't feel like he's going to get run after every play,” Ave said. “There are times when he might have the puck but not have it completely covered, so we also don't want anyone trying to get an extra shot.”

Of course, there's protective, and there's overprotective. Some players take offense if an opponent is even close enough to breathe on their goalie.

Whenever the situation results in your team being shorthanded, Ave, Craig and Lancers coach Bliss Littler said, that's when it's gone too far.

“I just come in if anyone's starting trouble after the whistle,” Craig said. “I think we have a pretty tough team, so anyone will stick up for anyone at any time. I think we showed that the other night when (Josh) Berge ran Tegs.”

Craig is referring to the charging call made on Lincoln's forward during Omaha's 7-0 victory Jan. 22 at the Ice Box. Berge barreled in on Teglia in the middle of the third period with the Lancers leading by six goals. Craig said Ave and Danny Mattson stepped in to make sure Berge understood that kind of play wasn't acceptable.

“That guy was kind of being like that all night,” Ave said. “He even got a penalty for it. He just ran over him for no reason, I thought, so I decided to go after him a little bit.”

Five minutes later, there was another scrum around the net that resulted in four penalties on Lincoln players totaling 24 minutes, while the only Lancer penalized was Craig with a fighting major.

Having that kind of protection allows Teglia, who has logged 1,790 minutes in 30 games, to be at his best when it's game time.

“The hay is in the barn and he's done the work all week,” Littler said. “He deserves to have success on the weekend because he works so hard in practice. His concentration is very good and he's doing a nice job.”

That's what Teglia hopes to do the rest of the season, starting with Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. game at Civic Auditorium against Sioux City. He enters that game with the second-best save percentage (.915) in the USHL.

Teglia then will need all the protection he can get when the West Division-leading Lancers go on the road to play the physical Fargo Force — the team that's only two points behind them in the standings — on Friday and Saturday.

“I thought last year I was pretty well protected, but this year they seem to really keep the other guys away from me,” Teglia said. “Whenever anything's going on, those guys are there for me, and that helps me play better.”

Contact the writer: 444-1201, alexsdad@mail.com

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