Drew MacIntyre had a feeling Domenic DiVincentiis would be up for the challenge.
Based on what he had seen from the Winnipeg Jets goalie prospect during the course of the past several seasons, MacIntyre — who is the goalie coach for the Manitoba Moose — knew that DiVincentiis would be ready to come out of the bullpen and wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the moment.
Even though the Moose were facing elimination after dropping the series opener against the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday, MacIntyre had watched DiVincentiis battle through a rough stretch late in the season, only to rebound to win his final two starts of the regular season.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Manitoba Moose goaltender Domenic Divincentiis (No. 50) deflects the puck off his blocker during first period action.
By turning aside 50 of 52 shots on goal, DiVincentiis was one of the big reasons the Moose posted consecutive 2-1 victories over the Admirals to advance to a best-of-five series with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
“Dom has had some success against Milwaukee during the year. They play a different style of game that we thought matched up well for Dom and he stepped up,” said MacIntyre. “He lost five out of six games down the stretch and then he won his two last games. But just the attitude and shift in mindset that he had, from the struggles to overcoming that, I saw it in practice every day, so the lessons that he learned in that served him well for this
“He’s a very competitive, intense kid. Slowly but surely, he’s been getting that calmness in his game, while keeping the fire.”
DiVincentiis wasn’t overworked through the first two periods, but made several timely saves, including one on the backdoor from Admirals forward Isaac Ratcliffe that showed off his quick glove.
“That’s just reading the play and knowing where guys are on the ice,” said DiVincentiis, a seventh round pick of the Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft. “Those are the saves you’ve got to make as a goalie in these types of games, to keep the team in it.”
DiVincentiis was busy in the third period, stopping 14 of 15 shots, and ended up getting stung late in regulation by a high shot that caught him around the shoulder area.
“He’s a very competitive, intense kid. Slowly but surely, he’s been getting that calmness in his game, while keeping the fire.”
“Those (shots) suck. You lose all feeling in your arm,” said MacIntyre. “He couldn’t even pick up his stick. But he’s always going to battle.”
DiVincentiis showed off his sense of humour when asked about the heavy shot leaving a mark.
“Yeah. It’s playoff hockey though,” said DiVincentiis, who made 31 saves in the decisive game. “You’re going to get bumps and bruises and you’ve got to battle through it. That’s when you’ve got to put your heart into it and forget about the pain. No pain, no gain.”
DiVincentiis, who went 13-16-2 in 34 games for the Moose this season with a 3.03 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, was quick to lean on his 28 games of Ontario Hockey League playoff experience with the North Bay Battalion and the two postseason starts with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL he had last spring.
“Every playoff game is very similar, you want to make sure that you’re sharp, you want to make sure that you’re dialed and you want to make sure that you help your team get the results,” said DiVincentiis. “The big moments are where big goalies shine. I love that feeling, I love being in that moment, to help our team get the win here. We’ve got to just continue with that.”
DiVincentiis, who turns 23 on May 4, was quick to credit the support of Thomas Milic, who was the team MVP for the Moose this season while also serving as a great cheerleader when he’s not between the pipes.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
DiVincentiis (No. 50) and Moose teammate Ashton Sautner (No. 6) keep an eye on the play while Moose defenceman Tyrel Bauer (No. 2) and Admirals left-winger Reid Schaefer (No. 49) battle in the slot during first period action.
“Obviously, I’m grateful I got the opportunity to play, but the most important thing is to get the results and to keep rolling with them,” said DiVincentiis. “We’ve said it since Day 1, there’s always going to be that healthy competition on and off the ice. Like I said, we go through this together. This isn’t a single man win. This is a tandem win.
“We push each other each and every day to get better. That’s how we stay sharp. But we also have that healthy relationship off the ice, where we cheer each other on and we’re there for each other through the ups and downs. Everybody is going to go through it, but when you have an amazing goalie tandem, it makes the job so much more fun and easy.”
While not surprising DiVincentiis went out of his way to share centre stage, he received plenty of praise from his teammates once the handshake line was finished and Moose players began to emerge to discuss the series that had just wrapped up.
“What can you say? Pretty phenomenal,” said Moose forward Walker Dueher, who opened the scoring. “I don’t think we win that game if he’s not playing, and if he doesn’t play that way.”
“I’m grateful I got the opportunity to play, but the most important thing is to get the results and to keep rolling with them.”
Although DiVincentiis didn’t get to make his NHL debut like Milic did, he spent some valuable time around the Jets earlier this season that also provided a boost to his confidence.
“When you are at the highest level or taking tips away from one of the best goalies in Hellebuyck, you are going to learn a lot,” said Moose captain Mason Shaw. “He has always been a goalie here that has portrayed a lot of confidence and I think that is something that as players, we feel and we thrive off of.
“It felt like nothing was going to get by him. He was on top of his crease, making saves. Even in the last game helping out in that scrum in that 6 on 5 at the end. He is a fiery kid. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
There was also plenty of pride in the voice of Moose head coach Mark Morrison when asked multiple questions about the play and demeanour of DiVincentiis.
“He’s had some ups and downs. The biggest thing is he keeps bouncing back,” said Morrison. “The consistency probably hasn’t been there as much as he would like, but he keeps bouncing back and that’s growth in itself. These last two games, you see someone who is calm in the net, killing plays, (shows) a lot of confidence in the dressing room and around the group. He’s got a little bit of swagger to him right now and that’s good.”
winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.