Reiter’s Block: A Five Year Journey
Posted on 07. Aug, 2011 by Carly Sartori in The Prospect Files
To reach this point in his career, the years grew as tiring and as hard-fought as the championship he and his team found themselves trying to win. Bouncing from team to team in leagues across the United States, like pucks ricocheting off his leg pads, Kenny Reiter felt the pangs of disappointment and discouragement – even considering leaving the sport he loved – before coming to the University of Minnesota Duluth. Four years of diligence, patience, and practicing his craft since joining a welcoming atmosphere reached its apex in the most important game of his career. Inside his crease in Xcel Energy Center, a championship fell within the grasp of this Bulldogs’ yellow glove along with an opportunity to show his team that he could be the factor to push the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament championship.
Hockey has not always been so kind to Reiter. The 5-foot-11 goaltender had only earned the starting job in net in late February a short while before the Frozen Four tournament. Before joining Minnesota Duluth, he played in the North American Hockey League on teams from Texas, Cleveland, St. Louis, Fairbanks and practically anywhere that would take him. Trying to get any sort of playing time in the NAHL was difficult for Reiter despite having some of the best goals-against-averages in the years he spent there. Playing for seven different teams, he thought his future playing hockey appeared grim. Instead of leaving the hockey world, he embraced a chance to make a breakthrough after a trade from St. Louis to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. His time with the Ice Dogs put him second in the NAHL in save percentages at .926 and his GAA reached 2.69, making him eighth in the league, while his record improved to 22-7-4 with two shutouts under his belt. This performance landed attention from recruiters in the NCAA, and Reiter had once again found hope to continue his career.
The time and hard work Reiter gave the Ice Dogs was only the beginning of the road. In his first year, he did anything but amaze those around him as he found himself losing his only game of the season, an exhibition outing against the US Under-18 National Team, before he became a redshirt. His second year with the Bulldogs did not fair much better when he received little ice time, but luckily, his desire to play and prove himself did not diminish.
During the 2009-2010 season, Reiter and Brady Hjelle split time in the crease after the Bulldogs sensational backstop, Alex Stalock, left a year prior graduating to begin his professional career. Reiter played twenty-five games recording three shutouts, .912 save percentage, and 2.36 goals against average for the season. Reiter had the slight edge over Hjelle in their performances in the season, but they were neck-and-neck for the better part of the campaign. Failing to make any run into the NCAA tournament championship, it was back to perfecting his game as a redshirt junior. Even with Hjelle departing from UMD, Reiter still had to earn his time in net as a Bulldog.
Freshmen Aaron Crandall became Reiter’s friendly competition during the 2010-2011 season, pushing each other to play their best. Ultimately, Reiter slowly took control of the Bulldog crease playing thirty-one games and bumping up his stats to .914 save percentage, 2.30 goals against average, and three shutouts. By late February, Reiter sealed the position off as his and the team was preparing to make noise at the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four for the fourth time in school history after defeating both Union College and Yale University. Reiter’s performance in the Frozen Four gained him some attention from college hockey fans around the divisions with imposing positional soundness and dexterity. His play pushed the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament Final against the tough University of Michigan Wolverines and their spectacular senior goaltender, Shawn Hunwick.
The dual between Shawn Hunwick and Kenny Reiter became a great story of two tireless athletes competing for one glorious end of a long season. The seasoned Hunwick versus the relentless Reiter battled through three periods reaching a climatic 2-2 end. On April 9, Reiter made 22 saves to help the Bulldogs win their first NCAA title.
The redshirt senior Reiter, still proud of all the trials he faced, returns next season in hopes of bringing another championship to UMD and proving all the doubters that he faced over the years wrong once more.