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Dubie Stones Jagr In NHL Shootout

(left) Wade Dubielwicz stops NHL legend Jaromir Jagr on the final shot of the shootout


University Of Denver Alumnus Wade Dubielwicz (DU '03) was recently recalled to the New York Islanders due to an injury to their starting goaltender.

Starting in goal for the second consecutive game, the score was knotted at 2-2 after the overtime and went to the NHL's Shootout.

With the Islanders holding a 1-0 lead in the shootout thanks to Miroslav Satan's score in the first round, it came down to Rangers star Jaromir Jagr versus Wade Dubielewicz in goal. The temptation was to ask, "What's wrong with this picture?"

But the 5-10 Islanders goaltender came out to challenge one of the all-time greats and got a stick on his shot and then, as the puck slid dangerously close to the goal line, covered it with his glove. Game over. The Islanders beat the Rangers, 3-2, last night at Nassau Coliseum and remain alive for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

I'm happy, happy we're still alive," Dubielewicz said in a locker room that was equal parts joy and relief after winning for the first time without goaltender Rick DiPietro since he suffered his second concussion March 25 against the Rangers. "It was huge. We were going down the wrong road. We needed something to spark us."

"I didn't look at it as intimidating; I looked at it as a challenge," Dubielewicz said. "You say Wade Dubielewicz and Jaromir Jagr, and there's not really a comparison there. It was fun. I was fortunate enough to win it tonight. Like I said out on the ice, we don't have nine lives. We have one."

Islanders coach Ted Nolan commented, "Dubielewicz played a great game. Those three Rangers in the shootout are world-class shooters, and he was sensational. The way Dubielewicz has played the last couple of games has given us a sense of hope again. It doesn’t have to be pretty. You don’t hear enough about character, desire and competitiveness, and Dubielewicz has all three."

Notes: DU Alum Paul Stastny scored his 27th goal for the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.