Michael Ouzas (22) plays for the University of New Brunswick (UNB Varsity Reds) of the Canadian University Hockey League. He played four seasons in the OHL. In 2005 he was named the OHL Goalie of the Year. Last season, a year after another Jon Elkin’s Goalie Schools student, Mike Mole, won the Canadian University Championships, Ouzas won the National title as well. Mike is from Hamilton, Ontario.
Here is his entry:
On game days, I try to be consistent with my routine. It’s different if I am on the road, but for home games everything is pretty much always the same. I wake up around 9:00am and have a big bowl of cereal. I head to the rink around 10:00 for a bike ride and a stretch. I come home and have a snack around 11:30, then relax until I make a penne and chicken pre-game meal at 1:30 pm. At around 2:30 I take a nap until about 4:00. I get ready then eat a snack before heading to the rink at 4:30pm.
Our home games start at 7:00pm. I arrive at the rink a little over 2 hours before the game. I tape a stick then stretch before our team meeting. After the meeting I warm-up and stretch before getting dressed. During the on-ice warm-up, I work on seeing the puck well and getting into position. After warm-up I relax and think about what I need to do to for the game. Back on the ice, I try to relax and focus during the anthem. After the anthem, I go for a little skate and focus only the game.
As far as superstitions, I never shave on game days and always get dressed in my gear by putting the left of everything on first. I also stretch in the same areas and use the same water bottle throughout the game.
