Central Hockey League: Martin provides Jackalopes a calming influence in goal

Goaltender Joel Martin made a lasting impression upon Odessa Jackalopes coach Paul GIllis the last time the two met.

It was in the spring of 2006 and Martin was the goaltender for the Kalamzoo Wings of the United Hockey League, who were facing off against the Gillis-coached Danbury Thrashers in the UHL’s Colonial Cup Finals.

Martin and the Wings won that series to earn the title and Gillis never forgot. So, when Martin’s named showed up on a list of goaltenders looking for a place to play in 2009-2010, Gillis quickly made a phone call and convinced Martin to come to the Permian Basin.

With the Jackalopes, Martin is paired in the net with Juha Toivonen, giving the team one of the top goaltending duos in the Central Hockey League.

“He’s big and he’s strong and he’s a workhorse,” Gillis said of Martin. “He’s very stable and has a stable personality.

“Last year one of our issues was that we went through a lot of goaltenders and we didn’t want to do that this year, we wanted to improve in that area. Joel is the first one on the ice every day and works his tail off and really I think we have a really good tandem.”

Toivovnen currently leads the CHL with a 5-0 record, a1.80 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

Martin currently sits fourth in the stadings with a 3-1-1 mark, with a 2.49 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

His most recent outing was a 4-1 victory last Friday against Bossier-Shreveport is Bossier City, La. It was the first victory for the Jackalopes over the Mudbugs since 2002.

Martin, though, deflects the accolades a easily as an opponent's shot from the point.

“We’ve been playing really well as a team,” he said. “The guys in front of me are doing a great job of letting me see the puck and then clearing loose pucks in front.

“This is a great organization and when I talked to other players, they never had anything bad to say about playing her or about the ownership. So when I got a call from Kory (Karlander), who I had played with in Kalamazoo, I decided to check everything and then came back.”

That’s right, this is Martin's second stint with the Jackalopes.

He played 10 games for the Jackalopes in the 2003-04 season, but left the Permian Basin for personal reasons before Christmas.

Martin has since played in Columbus (Ga)., Cleveland, Trenton (N.J.), Norfolk (Va.), Syracuse (N.Y.), Elmira (N.Y.) and Augusta (Ga.) before returning to Kalamazoo last season.

Quite a few stops for the Fort Worth native who was adopted by a family outside Calgary, Alberta when he was 1.

“I never really knew much about Fort Worth,” said Martin, who debuted his new Texas Flag mask in practice on Wednesday. “I grew up in Calgary and started skating when I was 4 or 5 and always wanted to be a goaltender because I liked the gear.

“I skated as a player until I was about 13 and I think that has helped me as a goaltender, being able to skate and handle the puck behind the net.”

It’s Martin’s play in the net, however, that has Gillis and the rest of the Jackalopes smiling and relaxing on the ice. They know that with him and Toivonen, each has the ability to get hot and carry the team at any given time.

Gillis hopes for that all the time.

“We don’t have a starter and a backup,” he said. “We have too very good goaltenders in Juha and Joel and they both are going to get their work.

“Sure, a goaltender gets hot and you stay with him sometimes and that’s something that both of them can do. It’s nice to have.”