The Central Wisconsin Saints are well on their way to turning around the 2011-2012 season. It was a scary start for a team that made it all the way to the Lakes Cup Finals last season. They have clawed and battled their way back and are nearing a .500 record. No one have been more instrumental to this hockey renaissance than goaltender Jake Adams.

Raised in Buffalo, Minnesota, Adams has been playing hockey since his youth. He started to skate when he was just four years old on the pond behind his house. Adams quicly because one of th top goaltenders in Buffalo. This led to his immediate selection to Princeton High School's varsity team in just his freshman year.

He would play for the Princeton Tigers, a member of the Mississippi Conference in the MSHSL, for three seasons. He eventually transferred across the conference to St. Michael-Albertville. In his final season Adams was third in the conference with a .902 save percentage. Adams posted 8 wins and 2 shutouts in 19 starts.

“My highschool goalie coach helped me alot and helped me improve well." said Adams about his time in hockey crazy Minnesota. "Playing varsity freshman year for Princeton really helped me mature."

Upon his graduation Adams came to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to try out for the Saints. Adams was one of the four goaltenders auditioning for new Head Coach Mark Vichorek in June. Adams acquitted himself well and was signed by the Saints on June, 26th and he joined goaltenders Mitch Hanson and Garrett Avery on the roster.

"He was so shy at tryouts," remembered Vichorek, "we could barely get him to talk and now he's the class clown in the locker room." Adams was the oldest goaltender on the roster and asserted himself well at the second tryout in August. Eventually he established himself as the Saints' starting goaltender.

"I did not expect to be the starter but that helped me work that much harder to try and achieve that spot." Said Adams. He wasn't the starter when the season opened. Adams only had one start in the Saints' first two series. Part of that was due to a suspension for fighting with his equipment on. "I have a bit of a temper and love fighting but I'm not in the right position for that." Said Adams.

His second start of the season was a disastrous 9-1 shelling by the Fort Wayne Federals. Adams was the backup the following night and ended up taking over for Avery in the third period. The Saints came back to win the game allowing Adams to post his first junior win as he stopped 23 of 24 shots fired on net.

 From that point on Adams was the top goalie on the depth chart and, despite occasional struggles, he has stayed there. Adams has been the decision goaltender in 9 of Central Wisconsin's 10 victories and his way to an 9-6 record. Adams also started all three games in a crucial three game series against the Wooster Oilers. The Saints won all three games.

 Adams lowered his goals against average to 4.33 over the course of the season and raised his save percentage to .870. He leads the team in GAA. He only allowed one goal in the first two games of the series against Wooster and in game number three he made some incredible stops including a leaping desperation stop on the penalty kill as he dove across his body to swat the puck out of the air with his stick.

"These young goaltenders have been the heart and soul of our team." said coach Vichorek, "We wouldn't be where we are without them."

"These guys really mean everything to us." Said team captain Kyle Harnish. "They keep us in games and give us a chance to win every night."

 The Saints recently traded for a fourth goaltender in Lukas Mikulasik then released him to bring back last seasons starter Steve Salek, but Adams is still the undisputed starter this year. The 5'9” keeper has made spectacular saves, but has also seen some time on the blooper reel after a lapse in concentration. The good has outweighed the bad for Adams, especially recently.

A shorter goaltender than many, Adams relays on strong lateral movement and good play-reading abilities to keep the puck out of khis net. Adams has confidence moving to the edge of his crease, playing the puck in the corner and poke checking forwards on breakaways.

Adams says that it all boils down to "Confidence that i know I'm quicker than the shooter." Adams smiling personality off the ice turns into that calm confidence when he plays, but don't crash his crease.

 Adams has 30 minutes of penalties already this year including two fighting majors. Adams battled Joshua Ybarra in his last start against Wooster even though he had lost his helmet. Adams makes sure no one takes liberties with him or his fellow goaltenders. He also shows discretion when necessary, turning down a scrap with Alexander Batson to preserve a power play in the same game.

"He is not shy to mix it up as we have seen being in two fights already this season." Said Coach Vichorek. "His statement after it happened to me was and I quote: 'I can't sit by and watch any of my team mates being punched in the middle of a pile and not do anything about it!'"

"I play really well under pressure, I hate losing and I love competition." stated Adams simply when asked about his attitude. Preparation is key as far as Jake is concerned; "For games I usually bike and get some stretching in to stay warm and loose and I jam to the techno in the locker room."

Adams continues to strive for improvement working on rebound control, angles and conditioning, all areas that he has had issues with in the past. "I get to the gym typically everyday to keep my flexibility and to stay in good shape."

Coach Vichorek is happy with the improvements he has already made. "Jake is easy to coach because he listens and takes things to heart to improve himself and the team." As for specifics he said that "Jake has improved on his focus during games and practice. He sometimes let his mind wander or got a bit lazy in the beginning of the year and not anymore."

Adams credits his high school coach, coach Vichorek and his father for helping him get to this point in his career. Adams was especially thankful for his father's support, saying "My dad has helped me alot doing what he can so I can continue to play hockey."

Adams will continue to start for the Saints and his confidence and athleticism should continue to help the Saints maintain their newfound levels of success. Adams and all of Central Wisconsin's goaltenders will be important to their continued success. Adams hopes he can help the team win, "The saints are a great organization and its been an awesome time." He said, and if he keeps playing as well as he has, it's bound to get even better.