Texan McKee Leads Lynx Between Pipes

[hockeyfan]

http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=show_news&cat=1&id=9118

David McKee has never felt out of place between the goal pipes. He's been sprawling in front of a net in skates since the age of 11.

That's because McKee, the 22-year-old rookie goaltender for the Augusta Lynx, isn't from Manitoba, British Columbia, Ontario or Minnesota, like most of his teammates and most of the entire North American hockey world.

He's from Irving, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, the heart of high school football mania and mild temperatures in December.

"Most guys don't really think about it. A lot of times they ask me if I'm really from Texas, but it's not a big deal at all," McKee said.

McKee (6-foot-1, 190) has all four victories for the Lynx heading into the team's three-game weekend, which starts tonight against South Carolina at James Brown Arena. He might not start tonight after starting the team's past four games.

Augusta coach Bob Ferguson said having a player from the South would have been unusual 10 years ago but expansion in the past decade has made it less uncommon. Still, McKee is one of only eight players in the 25-team league from the southern United States, Arizona or California.

"I'm sure he hears an odd joke about it every now and then," Ferguson said. "But we're starting to see more and more players like places from Texas and California.

"It shows the commitment of players like (McKee), because in those areas, there is so much more pressure, peer pressure, to play other sports. Especially in Texas, where if you're a great athlete, you're expected to play football."

McKee did play football growing up, as well as baseball and soccer. But his father took him to a Dallas Stars game in 1993, the franchise's first season in Texas after moving from Minnesota.

"There wasn't hockey at all growing up, but the Stars came in '93, I went to a game, and just fell in love with it," McKee said. "Football's huge in Dallas, and it's definitely something I tried, but I kind of stopped growing. Everybody else got bigger, so I figured I needed to pick up a new sport ."

He is a University of Texas fan and even sported a burnt orange Longhorns cap at times during his three seasons at Cornell. There, he was a three-year starter, the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2005 and an All-American.

He was invited to Cornell after shining for Texas junior programs that traveled to tournaments throughout the United States and Canada, where Big Red scouts took notice.

"Moving from Dallas to Ithaca, N.Y., that was a little bit of an adjustment," he said. "Being from Dallas and having played with the guys I grew up with, it was kind of a shock, not only with the difference in people but with the culture also."

McKee, who has been outspoken about overcoming dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder to excel in school, left college early to sign a two-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks in April.

The Ducks are the NHL affiliate of the Lynx, who welcomed McKee to town a week before the season.

And here, McKee (4-2-0) hasn't simply won, he's done it with flair. In eight games, he's already had more of the highlight-reel type of saves than some goalies gather in half a season.

In McKee's first pro start, on Oct. 21, his 6-5 win over Gwinnett included a blind, behind-the-back glove save that prevented a goal and had the crowd applauding.

"He was standing on his head for us out there," forward Louis Goulet said of the performance.

McKee shined again earlier this week, making a post-to-post kick save to rob a Columbia player of a wide-open goal in Tuesday's game.

"I don't know how he does half the stuff he does," defenseman Ken Scuderi said.

McKee said he's just happy to have the opportunity to play the sport he loves, improve and help his team. And he's not unhappy about doing it here.

"I love Augusta," he said. "It's good to be back in the South."

He'll be playing against a Texas team next weekend when the Lynx come to play the Wildcatters.

I can't cheer for the Lynx since they're in our division, but they were one of my favorite teams last year when the Wildcatters didn't play. 8)