Local goalie claws his way to a full scholarship

Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 

Back in January of 2003, the goaltending trio of Alain Valiquette, Tyler Beskorowany and Shawn Sirman all cracked the rosters of local AAA bantam teams, despite  being minor bantam age.

Valiquette and Sirman spent two years as teammates with Sudbury, while Beskorowany backstopped the Onaping Falls Huskies. The troika was followed with interest as their individual careers took a variety of twists and turns.

While Valiquette and Beskorowany worked their way through to the OHL ranks, Sirman ventured a different route, one that was perhaps less noticed until this most recent hockey campaign. Earlier this spring, Sirman accepted a full scholarship offer from the University of Maine, capping off a three-year stretch of junior hockey.

Going back 16 years when Sirman first stepped on the ice in Wawa, he was a defenseman by trade.

Crossing over to goaltending for the Valley East Rebels at age seven, following the family's move to the area, was only natural, according to the Blezard Valley resident. "I was much better as a goalie than as a player."

Sirman spent the next five years as a member of the Rebels, stepping up to the AAA ranks at the minor bantam level. But accomplishments in the Northern Ontario Bantam AAA Hockey League mean precious little when it comes to your draft year, and for Sirman and Beskorowany, the stars clearly did not align. "It was one of my worst years of hockey, we really weren't very good," Sirman noted of the 2005-06 season with the Valley East Cobras.

The Cobras goaltending duo still managed the somewhat unthinkable, both being selected in the late rounds of the OHL Entry Draft - Sirman to the Oshawa Generals, Beskorowany to the Owen Sound Attack.

With his Valley East goaltending partner opting to return for a second year of Great North Midget League experience, Sirman decided to take a different direction in his hockey career.

The 5-11 goalie signed on with the Blind River Beavers of the NOJHL - a gutsy move considering the fact junior teams seldom anoint 16 year old rookies as their number one netminder.

That said, the youngster helped lead the Beavers through an outstanding seven-game playoff series with the Soo Thunderbirds.

By this point, he was attracting interest from south of the border. "Our family advisor suggested the Quinte West Pac," said Sirman. "The team was not going to be great, but I would get a lot of shots and plenty of exposure."

With his goaltending resume expanding nicely, Sirman caught a break. An acquaintance of Kingston Voyageurs' goalie coach Kory Cooper, Sirman received a call from the former Belleville Bulls and Sudbury Wolves goaltender last summer. "He tells me that they're going to try and win it all in Kingston this year (2008-09)," Sirman said. "... And he wants to know if I would come if he got me there."

To suggest this past season was a memorable one for Sirman would be an understatement. He won 21 of the 29 games he played, and led the Voyageurs to a first-place finish in the Ruddock Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. His save percentage of .926 and goals against average of 2.36 attracted more attention as Sirman was selected as a member of the Team Canada East roster that would compete at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge.

It's above the shoulders where Sirman credits the biggest development in his game. "When I was younger, I would let in a bad goal a game, just from lack of focus," he admitted.

His mental toughness was put to the test this spring as Sirman played every minute of every game, as the Voyageurs rode his back to capture the OJHL title and Dudley Hewitt Cup, earning a berth at the Royal Bank Cup.

Yet it wasn't until early in the team's league final facing Oakville that Sirman could finally rest easy, at least when it came to finalizing a destination for the 2009-2010 hockey season.

Mind you, kicking out 77 of the 84 shots directed your way and helping your team to a pair of one goal victories can only help seal the deal. The next evening, Sirman received the word he had so anxiously hoped for  - a full athletic scholarship awaited him with the University of Maine Black Bears.

Once again, Sirman is taking a road away from the local spotlight. But he's okay with that. "It's turned out pretty good for all three of us," he said. And there's still more to come.