For Stillwater goalie, scoring's a dream

December 2, 2011 at 11:22PM
Blake Cates
Blake Cates (Dml -/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Stillwater goalie Blake Cates sounds off:

How long have you played goalie? Since my first year of squirts. I traded off with another goalie in every other game. One game at goalie, one game at forward.

You must have liked it. After that year, my dad told me I had to choose a position, and I chose goalie. I still have no idea why.

Do you ever dream about scoring a goal? All the time! I want to go out there and hit someone, make a good play and score a goal.

Do you play hockey year-round? Yeah. I used to play another sport, but now it's pretty much just hockey.

What is your greatest strength? I'm big -- I'm 6-1, 205 -- and I'm good at making the big save and putting the puck into the corner.

How important is the high school season? It's the most fun season of all, playing for your school with all of your buddies. Going to nationals with all of the scouts there is all right, but you don't know anybody.

What are your plans after high school? Probably go to Sioux City, Iowa, and play juniors there for a couple of years. Then see what happens.

Does anything smell worse than a hockey locker room? Oh, I don't know. Hockey bags smell pretty bad.

Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding? Harding. He catches the same way I do.

JIM PAULSEN

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