Whether Jeremy Helvig is the man in the Eastern Conference-favourite <strong>Kingston</strong> <strong>Frontenacs</strong>’ net, or the man at the moment, boils down to semantics. <strong>Kingston</strong> coach Paul McFarland says only, “today, Jeremy’s getting the first game of round two,” when asked if Helvig, 18, is now a clear No. 1 ahead of overage Lucas Peressini, the 2014- 15 OHL goaltender of the year. Ultimately, the 6-foot-4, 202-pound Helvig has rewarded the <strong>Frontenacs</strong>’ willingness to play a long game with goalie growth. Since Christmas, Helvig has a 1.62 goals-against average and .944 save percentage, Robertson Cup in 2013 while using both Anthony Stolarz and Jake Patterson in the playoffs. No coach will ever top the goalie guessing game the late Mark Reeds played with the Owen Sound Attack in the spring of 2011, as he used Jordan Binnington, Scott Stajcer and Michael Zador. It is within the realm of possibility that the <strong>Frontenacs</strong> could turn back to Peressini, who was credited with 27 of their club-record 46 wins. “We have said it all year: We have two great goalies,” McFarland says. “Jeremy’s done a great job of pushing Lucas throughout the season, and at this point in time, he’s our guy. He’s slowly goaltender JEREMY HELVIG HAS HAD AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR IN HIS SECOND SEASON AS A KINGSTON fRONTENAC, INCLUDING TWO SHUTOUTS IN ROUND 1 OF THE <strong>2016</strong> PLAYOFFS and a 16-1-0-1 record. In the five-game first-round win against the Oshawa Generals, Helvig also became the first <strong>Kingston</strong> goalie with two shutouts in a series in the club’s 43-season history. Not too shabby for a goaltender who played 14 games as a rookie in ’14-15. “I definitely have a lot of confidence right now after that first series,” says Helvig, whose <strong>Frontenacs</strong> host the Niagara IceDogs for Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinal. “Oshawa is a good team and we were able, for the most part, to dominate most of that round [outscoring the Generals by a combined 27-11]. “For me, the biggest difference has been that in the off-season I just pushed myself,” the Markham, Ont., native adds. “I got a connection with [goaltending consultant] Mike Lawrence and worked with him for three weeks and gained confidence and focused on being in better shape.” Dale Hunter’s London Knights won the J. Ross 10 KINGSTON FRONTENACS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE
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