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The
Ron Mays Goaltending School has been providing elite level
instruction to goaltenders of all ages and ability since 2001.
The
program commenced with Ron Mays providing instruction to three
goaltenders. Today, well over 300 goaltenders from across
Southern Ontario receive instruction from Ron Mays, many on a weekly
basis.
The
success of the Ron Mays Goaltending School is directly related to
the success of its students. Since its inception, over 75
students who train with Ron have progressed from the House League
system to the Rep system. Several other goalies that were
already playing rep hockey have advanced in the rep system moving
from A to AA or AA to AAA. Many students who are playing at
the House League level are leading their leagues in goals against
average while leading their teams to championships.
Several long-time students of the Ron Mays Goaltending School have
made the jump from minor hockey to junior hockey, with a number
having represented their country during international competition.
Some of these students include Bryce O’Hagan, Adrian Volpe, Andrew
Loverock, Lucas Lobsinger, Nicole Paniccia, Joey Lepera and Brendan
Gorecki.
Bryce O’Hagan, a Burlington resident who has trained with Ron for
over 8 years, helped Team Canada capture the prestigious Ivan Hlinka
Cup during the summer of 2008, a tournament which featured the best
1991 born hockey players in the world. Prior to this, Bryce
led Team Ontario to a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Under 17 Hockey
Challenge where he was named MVP after shutting out the United
States 3-0 in the final.
At
the OHL level, Ron spent 6 seasons as the goaltending coach with the
Mississauga and Niagara Ice Dogs. During this period, 6 former
Ice Dogs goaltenders went on to play pro hockey after completing
their major junior career. During the 2004-2005 OHL season,
Michael Ouzas, a career OHL back-up who had played just 27 games
prior to being traded to the Ice Dogs, captured the Ontario Hockey
League’s Goalie of the Year award after posting a .926 save
percentage and a 2.18 goals against average. Both David Shantz
and Michael Ouzas were selected to participate in the OHL all-star
game and Shantz was named to the 2004 NHL/CHL Top Prospects game
before being selected by the Florida Panthers in the 2nd
round of the 2004 NHL draft.
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