Vaughn NAHL Goaltender of the Month: Chase Munroe, Michigan Warriors

The Michigan Warriors improbable run to clinching the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division would not have been possible without the play of their goaltenders, in particular, veteran Chase Munroe. The 20-year-old goaltender from Naperville, Illinois, was a big part of the Warriors going 8-1 during the month of March and securing the 4th and final seed in the North Division playoffs by one point with one more win on the final day of the regular season. Munroe (6’3/205) played in four games during the month, including the final three of the regular season, posting a perfect 4-0 record. During the month, he faced 148 shots and made 142 saves, allowing just six goals in the four games. That was good for a 1.44 goals against average and a 95.9% save percentage during March. Three of his four wins came on the road, which included two wins in the Soo against the Eagles during the final weekend of the regular season. It capped off a wild regular season for Munroe, who started the year in Wichita Falls, made a stop in Fairbanks and eventually ended up in Michigan when the Warriors ran into injury problems with their goaltending. Munroe is in his second season in the NAHL and played in the NAPHL for two seasons prior, both with the Indiana Jr. Ice. “The turning point for Chase was when our other goalie, Ryan Wischow, went down with an injury. Chase knew then he was going to be the guy. He always worked hard in practice and you could tell he was yearning for a shot to get in there and prove something. He had been in some tough situations this year, so I think it was a matter of him gaining his confidence back.  Once that happened, the momentum he gave our team with his play snowballed and we managed to pull out a playoff spot,” said Michigan head coach Moe Mantha.

For Munroe, his performance during the month was something that he knew he had inside him, but just needed the right situation to show what he could do. “I felt like with the position the team was in, we had nothing to lose. We were all on board to just let it go and leave nothing on the ice during the month. It hasn’t been the ideal year for me, but I have gotten mentally stronger and that is a big part of the battle of playing goalie and having success in the NAHL. I didn’t worry so much about the outcome, but just wanted to have fun out there and be there for my teammates.  We have some momentum right now and we will see where that takes us in the playoffs, but I think anything is possible with the way we have been playing,” said Munroe.

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