December 9, 2014

by Pete Wallner – mlive.com
____________________________

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Having a lack of confidence as a goalie is not good, but that’s where Jared Coreau found himself less than two weeks ago with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The second-year pro was coming off a woeful 2013-14 season, and he hadn’t played a game this season despite the Griffins being thin at the position with Petr Mrazek in Detroit as Jimmy Howard’s backup.

“Oh, I’d say my confidence was sitting about the four or five range,” Coreau said. “I knew I was getting better as a goalie in practice, but practice is practice. Even if you take pride in doing well in that, it’s not like a game.”

Coreau finally got his shot Nov. 29 at Adirondack, a day after the Griffins and incumbent Tom McCollum lost 4-3 in overtime at Rochester. It was everything he hoped for as he turned aside 35 of 36 shots in a 6-1 victory.

“That was more like a sense of relief,” Coreau said.

Then came Saturday, and his second chance. It got even better as Coreau shut out Midwest Division-leading Rockford 4-0, stopping 31 shots. He woke up the next day to a text from coach Jeff Blashill that said he would start the next night, too, at Milwaukee. It was another winner, 2-1, with Coreau stopping two of three shots in the shootout.

Just like that, a goalie without an AHL win in five previous games picked up three in just over a week.

So how’s that confidence now?

“Up around eight or nine,” Coreau said with a laugh.

“He’s learned a lot,” said Jeff Salajko, the Griffins goalie coach. “I figured he’d be better. I didn’t know how much better to play at this level, but he’s showing us he can do it right now.”

The performances have earned a level of trust from Blashill, who now has another option beyond McCollum, who has a.902 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 14 games.

"I think it's great for him to start to earn that confidence from the coaching staff that he can go in and be a real good goalie at this level," said Blashill, who had not decided who would start in Wednesday’s home game against Lake Erie. "Every game from here on out is just another chance to earn more and more confidence. And that's the way it works."

Coreau’s stats are pretty impressive for three starts: 3-0 with a .978 save percentage and 0.64 GAA. That's a far cry from last season when, in five games with the Griffins, he had a 4.39 GAA and .873 save percentage.

He spent most of the season in the ECHL with last-place Toledo, where he was 1-12-6 in 20 games overall and a GAA of 4.03. That made for a tough for year as a pro after he left Northern Michigan following his junior year.

"Coming up, I was never really the most talented kid in the group. I made teams because I worked harder than other guys," Coreau said. "That's how I think it should be done. You just keep working and keep working and it will turn around for you. That's what has always worked for me."

Part of the improvement has been to use his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage. That includes streamlining his moves.

“Sometimes with bigger guys - their backs can almost go post-to-post which is amazing - so you have to work on foot speed and patience and positioning,” said Jim Bedard, the Red Wings goalie coach who has worked with Coreau and stays abreast of his progress from Salajko.

“The key for him is to realize that if he plays big at the top of the paint, the puck is going to come to him and he doesn’t have to scramble and have wasted effort.”

Given what he has done of late, it would seem Coreau could move that confidence level up a notch, to nine or 10. But Coreau said there’s more work to be done.

“To get that full confidence, there’s still a few things to iron out,” he said. “Blash and I have talked about it – some rebounding control and some puck handling things. But other than that, I’m getting there.

“I’ve earned a little bit,” he said of respect. “Not enough to guarantee me a spot or anything. It’s a long road and it’s a long season. It just feels good to get a couple wins under my belt after the long grueling season last year.”

December 9, 2014

by Pete Wallner – mlive.com
____________________________

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Having a lack of confidence as a goalie is not good, but that’s where Jared Coreau found himself less than two weeks ago with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The second-year pro was coming off a woeful 2013-14 season, and he hadn’t played a game this season despite the Griffins being thin at the position with Petr Mrazek in Detroit as Jimmy Howard’s backup.

“Oh, I’d say my confidence was sitting about the four or five range,” Coreau said. “I knew I was getting better as a goalie in practice, but practice is practice. Even if you take pride in doing well in that, it’s not like a game.”

Coreau finally got his shot Nov. 29 at Adirondack, a day after the Griffins and incumbent Tom McCollum lost 4-3 in overtime at Rochester. It was everything he hoped for as he turned aside 35 of 36 shots in a 6-1 victory.

“That was more like a sense of relief,” Coreau said.

Then came Saturday, and his second chance. It got even better as Coreau shut out Midwest Division-leading Rockford 4-0, stopping 31 shots. He woke up the next day to a text from coach Jeff Blashill that said he would start the next night, too, at Milwaukee. It was another winner, 2-1, with Coreau stopping two of three shots in the shootout.

Just like that, a goalie without an AHL win in five previous games picked up three in just over a week.

So how’s that confidence now?

“Up around eight or nine,” Coreau said with a laugh.

“He’s learned a lot,” said Jeff Salajko, the Griffins goalie coach. “I figured he’d be better. I didn’t know how much better to play at this level, but he’s showing us he can do it right now.”

The performances have earned a level of trust from Blashill, who now has another option beyond McCollum, who has a.902 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 14 games.

"I think it's great for him to start to earn that confidence from the coaching staff that he can go in and be a real good goalie at this level," said Blashill, who had not decided who would start in Wednesday’s home game against Lake Erie. "Every game from here on out is just another chance to earn more and more confidence. And that's the way it works."

Coreau’s stats are pretty impressive for three starts: 3-0 with a .978 save percentage and 0.64 GAA. That's a far cry from last season when, in five games with the Griffins, he had a 4.39 GAA and .873 save percentage.

He spent most of the season in the ECHL with last-place Toledo, where he was 1-12-6 in 20 games overall and a GAA of 4.03. That made for a tough for year as a pro after he left Northern Michigan following his junior year.

"Coming up, I was never really the most talented kid in the group. I made teams because I worked harder than other guys," Coreau said. "That's how I think it should be done. You just keep working and keep working and it will turn around for you. That's what has always worked for me."

Part of the improvement has been to use his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage. That includes streamlining his moves.

“Sometimes with bigger guys - their backs can almost go post-to-post which is amazing - so you have to work on foot speed and patience and positioning,” said Jim Bedard, the Red Wings goalie coach who has worked with Coreau and stays abreast of his progress from Salajko.

“The key for him is to realize that if he plays big at the top of the paint, the puck is going to come to him and he doesn’t have to scramble and have wasted effort.”

Given what he has done of late, it would seem Coreau could move that confidence level up a notch, to nine or 10. But Coreau said there’s more work to be done.

“To get that full confidence, there’s still a few things to iron out,” he said. “Blash and I have talked about it – some rebounding control and some puck handling things. But other than that, I’m getting there.

“I’ve earned a little bit,” he said of respect. “Not enough to guarantee me a spot or anything. It’s a long road and it’s a long season. It just feels good to get a couple wins under my belt after the long grueling season last year.”