When the NCAA Frozen Four begins in Boston next week, four St. Louis products will be spread among the programs playing for college hockey supremacy. They include Brian O’Rourke (Nebraska-Omaha), Dominic Zombo (Nebraska-Omaha), Nick Saracino (Providence) and Michael Parks (North Dakota).
Mike McKenna got called up from the Portland Pirates on 1-21-15, and is currently serving as the interim backup goalie to starter Mike Smith.
The 31-year-old McKenna has posted a 16-13-2 record with a 2.09 goals against average (GAA) and a .934 save percentage (SV%) in 32 games with the Pirates. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of St. Louis, Missouri owns a 3.40 GAA and a .891 SV% in 21 career NHL games. McKenna was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the sixth round (172nd overall) in the 2002 Entry Draft.
Mike McKenna stopped all 32 shots his way as the Portland Pirates blanked the host St. John’s IceCaps 3-0 on Friday in American Hockey League action.
McKenna, a journeyman goaltender who has played for 13 teams across the National Hockey League, American Hockey League and ECHL, including one previous stop in Portland, signed a deal with the Pirates in the offseason, affording him the opportunity to return to one of his favorite stops along the way.
Last season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound McKenna recorded a 22-10-1 record with a .910 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.54 goals against average (GAA) in 36 games with the Springfield Falcons (AHL). The 31-year-old native of St. Louis, Mo., also registered a 1-1-1 mark with a .904 SV% and a 3.01 GAA in four games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Mike McKenna from the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons under emergency conditions, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.
From Abby Cox in the 1920s to Jeremy Smith and Mike McKenna in the present day, Springfield professional hockey teams have had their share of colorful and successful goaltenders.
