Boyko does set Rockets record in home shutout

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Mature, focused, and with the swagger of a pro, Boyko’s calm demeanor is clear in what can only be described as a turbulent season for a Kelowna Rockets team holding onto the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

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“The less you are thinking out there, the better”, Boyko told RocketFAN about his approach to preparing for games. “You just need to react.

“Even the night before [a game], I would think about it. There have been times when that’s worked and times when it hasn’t. It is still a work in progress on when to think about the game and when it is time to have a laugh with the guys.”

Boyko’s best effort of the season was almost a week ago when he was named the WHL Goalie of the Week after a 51-save performance last Saturday in a 4-0 shutout over the Prince Alberta Raiders.

“Making a save early makes you feel good, but I have felt good the last couple of games, Boyko continued. “I feel like I’ve been playing some good hockey the last little while. There are certain guys on certain teams that you try to key in on when they have the puck, but I try to play similarly every game no matter whom we are playing.”

The 51-save effort was a franchise-best, with no Rockets goalie ever making that many stops in keeping the opposition off the scoresheet.

“I typically get dialed in when I put my gear on before warmup”, Boyko said during a rare night off Wednesday against the Prince George Cougars. “I wouldn’t say I am super loose, but I am probably not the tightest goaltender ever.

“I am not crazy superstitious. If you get to an away game late, then you are stressed and that can get into your head. I put the right side of my gear on first, but I don’t get carried away.”

The only Rockets goalie to come close to Boyko’s brilliance was James Porter Junior, who twice earned shutout wins with 40 save efforts over Saskatoon and Everett.

The NHL record for saves in a shutout is 59, set by Ben Scrivens of the Edmonton Oilers in 2014 in a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

While Kelly Guard is the Kelowna Rockets franchise leader with 23 whitewashes, the now 39-year-old also recorded the fewest saves with eight, in a 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars in 2004.

Boyko, who was named the team MVP a season ago, has started in 13 of the teams’ last 17 games and will be the starter if the Rockets earn a playoff spot by edging out the 9th-place Victoria Royals.

In Grant Fuhr’s paperback book entitled, ‘Fuhr on Goaltending’, the NHL hall of famer stressed in one chapter that if teammates are shooting for the corners in warmup, the goalie should skate out of the crease.

Fuhr says the time is not designed to increase the confidence of the shooter, but more so for the goalie to feel the puck.

“You can be lights out in warmup and then you can not make a ton of saves during the game”, Boyko said. “I am just trying to track the puck [in warmup].

“Feeling the puck is nice but seeing the puck go into my glove and following the puck once it goes off my blocker, for me that is more important is to track the puck then stop it”.

Winning without leading scorer Andrew Cristall for 12 consecutive games hasn’t been easy.

Newly acquired Ty Hurley has been out 11 games since being injured on January 10th against Prince George, d-men John Babcock, and Marek Rocak have missed six consecutive games, and power forward Max Graham remains sidelined for another few weeks with an upper-body injury.

Boyko is remaining positive despite the injury bug taking a bite out of his team over the last two months.

“We are still missing a couple of guys, so I am excited about the next 20 games.”

Opening a five-game homestand tonight against the Prince George Cougars, look for Boyko to be at his best with three elite teams in Saskatoon, Portland, and Tri-City coming to town before the team closes out the month of February with three games in Alberta.