"All I had to do was make the first save and my team cleared the rebound," Eglinton said.
Behind Eglinton's first shutout of the season and a strong defensive effort, Masuk defeated Barlow, 2-0, at the Rinks at Shelton. Eglinton stopped all 20 shots that came his way, and his offense gave him enough support with goals in the first and third period.
Masuk (4-0) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Jack DaMota scored from the right face-off circle off a pass from Kevin Faust with 2:33 left in the first period. A Panthers goal by Tim Zackzewski with 2:50 left in the game sealed the game, but play by Eglinton and the Panthers defense kept Barlow (2-3) from attempting to tie the game.
Barlow often struggled to move the puck toward the Masuk goal, and spent little time on the attack. Even when the Falcons shot on goal, Eglinton was always in position and would put the puck in a position to be cleared.
"Eglinton played well tonight," Masuk coach Andy Townsend said. "We ask him all the time to make the first save and we'll clear the rebound. Tonight, he made the first save, we cleared those rebounds, and he played the way he's capable of playing. Tonight, he earned the shutout and it was a good job."
The strong defensive effort by Masuk offset what Townsend called a lackadaisical offensive output. The Panthers managed 31 shots on Barlow goalie Trevor Hirst, but only were able to get two shots by him. Hirst's play in goal, just like Eglinton, gave his team an opportunity to win but his offense could not come through.
"We struggled all night to get decent shots on net," Barlow coach Pete Maxfield said. "We had a lot of outside shots and couldn't get any follow-up shots to put the puck in the net. Masuk played a strong effort all-around and kept us out of the front of the net and we couldn't convert."
The Falcons offense was not able to convert because of the strong play of Eglinton and the defense. And even though he was not nervous, throughout the game, Eglinton was able to relax when he was able to stop thinking of the shutout.
"You don't want to think about it but it always pops up in your head," Eglinton said. "It pops up in your head and you glance over at the scoreboard. (When it's over) it's a sigh of relief."
According to Townsend, Masuk played without Tyler Miressi, Greg Emond, Phil Seperack and Timothy Sean Bowler, who were charged by police with smashing mailboxes over the weekend.
When asked if the players were suspended, Townsend replied, "No comment."
MASUK 1 0 1 — 2
BARLOW 0 0 0 — 0
Records: Masuk 4-0; Barlow 2-3
Goals: M — Jack DaMota, Tim Zackzewski; Assists: M — Kevin Faust; Goalies: M — Ryan Eglinton (20 saves); B — Trevor Hirst (29 saves); Shots: M — 31; B — 20
