Sports

Bolton’s Mangiapane scores first NHL goal

February 14, 2019   ·   0 Comments

Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

It may have taken 27 games, but better late than never for Andrew Mangiapane to score his first career NHL goal.

The Bolton native finally found twine during the Calgary Flames’ 4 – 3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, capitalizing on a pass from defenseman Noah Hanifin that he sent from the top of the circle over the shoulder of Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.

“It was definitely nice,” the ex-St. Michael’s Thunder skater told media postgame during a scrum. “I guess I feel like it was a little longer than I would have liked, but I felt like our line was hemming them in there, and then (Hanifin) sort of picked it up and made a nice pass over to me. So it was definitely a good feeling, and I’m happy it’s out of the way.”

Called back up to the NHL club in late January, Mangiapane added that it was his “mentality” that he would eventually hit the back of the net that helped push him towards the eventual career milestone.

“I’ve just been practicing, working hard. I knew eventually it would come,” said Mangiapane, who added that if he keeps up his pace, “good things will happen.”

The St. Michael’s Thunder, the athletic department of Bolton’s St. Michael’s Catholic Secondary School, tweeted out their own congratulations to their graduate.

“Congrats to #ThunderAlumni Andrew Mangiapane on his first NHL goal!” The tweet reads. “Your Thunder family and coaches are super proud of you!”

The 22-year old left winger, who spends the off-season back home in Bolton, is certainly no stranger to lighting the lamp at the professional level. In 54 games over the past two seasons with the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate Stockton Heat, Mangiapane has managed an impressive thirty goals, leading the Heat in scoring in the 2017-18 season.

He also spent three seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts, where in his final season as a junior he amassed a whopping 51 goals in 59 games while wearing an ‘A’ on his chest.

Yet, though his first NHL tally turned out to be a thing of beauty on a one-timer, Mangiapane wasn’t worried at all about how his first goal would have went in.

“I would have taken it if it went off my shin pad.”



         

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