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Tucker turns the corner

Dec 7, 2010 | 5:31 AM

 

Raiders Coach and G.M. Bruno Campese says last weekend's road trip is proof 19-year-old Goaltender Jamie Tucker has his game back together.

Coach and G.M. Bruno Campese says Tucker had been struggling for over a month but they had confidence he could play his way through it and play through it he did winning two of three games during last week's road trip through Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge.

Tucker's best performance came in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.  He made two key stops on breakaways including his robbery of Mitch Maxwell in the first period when the home side was carrying the play.

Tucker got better as his confidence increased recording a .923 save percentage during the trip.

Campese also said during “faceoff” (900 CKBI's weekly hockey  talk show)  future starts will be determined by a simple formula.  It will be performance based, meaning if you play well and continue to win you will continue to play.

Campese also says they now know they have two goalies they can count on.  Rookie Eric Williams who had started four in a row before the trip, is ranked second among W.H.L. netminders for this summer's N.H.L. draft.

Williams has a 6-7-1-1 record with a goals against average of 3.45 and an excellent save percentage of .907.  Tucker has raised his numbers to 5-9-1-1 with a 4.07 goals against average and .879 save percentage.

The Raiders host Kootenay on Wednesday with Saturday's 40th anniversary game at the Art Hauser Centre against Everett.  Then it's on the bus for the overnight trip to Brandon and Sunday's showdown with the Wheat Kings.

Meanwhile more hard luck for Igor Revenko.  The 20 year old import winger suffered a knee injury early in the third period Saturday.  He limped to the bench after a knee-on-knee collision early in the period and didn't return.

Igor won't play this week and may not return until after Christmas.  Revenko had three assists in his fifth game back after sitting out out seven with an abdominal pull.  Igor also scored in Edmonton.

Campese says 17 year old rookie Todd Fiddler may take Igor's spot on the line with Mark McNeill and Brandon Herrod.

All Raider games can be heard on 900 CKBI.