A 15-year-old goaltender with roots in the Smoky River region has been formally named the top goalie in the RAMHL (Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League) for the 2007-’08 season. His name is Nick Freeman of Falher, a standout goaltender from the under-16 Grande Prairie Storm midget double ‘A’ team who was recently presented with a plaque from the league in recognition of the honour. “I never saw it (the award) coming,” says a surprised Freeman, who accepted a plaque in recognition of the honour in front of a large contingent of Storm supporters prior to the second game of their league playoff final against Camrose. “To be recognized in front of all those people was a pretty incredible feeling.” The 6-foot tall, 169-pound goaltender is coming off his first full season between the pipes with the Storm – a hockey club which finished atop the league ladder with an impressive overall record of 33-4-0. It was a season highlighted by a 3-0 sweep against Camrose in the RAMHL final. Much of the team’s on-ice success this year was directly attributed to Freeman, a rookie who turned more than just a few heads in his first official season of Storm hockey with a league best goals against average of 2.15 and a save percentage hovering around the .950 mark. He shared the goaltending duties with teammate Brodi Hill throughout the season, playing with two other familiar faces from the Smoky River region – Patrick Gaudet and Justin Viens Lauze. All three players were with the Smoky River Minor Hockey bantam ‘A’ team in 2006-’07 prior to making the huge leap into the midget double ‘A’ ranks this past season. “I was looking for an opportunity to challenge myself more this year. That’s why I decided to tryout for the Storm,” says Freeman, adding that the transition to midget double ‘A’ proved to be exactly what he was looking for. “There definitely was a bit of a learning curve at first for me in terms of getting used to to the increased speed and skill level, but I adapted to the change fairly quickly. It’s a much faster brand of hockey with the main focus being on development and eliminating the little mental mistakes,” he explains. One of the keys to his success this past season, besides his size and agility, has been a calm and cool demeanor on the ice. “I’m not the type of person to get rattled by a bad goal or a missed call. As a goaltender you just have to take it in stride without letting emotions get in the way of your responsibilities,” Freeman adds. As far as the future is concerned, the young up-and-coming goaltender says he has his sights firmly locked on bigger and better things in the game of hockey. Part of that vision will come into focus next month when he attends junior ‘A’ hockey camps with the Bonnyville Pontiacs and Grand Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. “It’s more or less an exposure thing to showcase what I’m capable of doing as a goaltender,” says Freeman, who also plans to try out for the Storm’s midget triple ‘A’ squad this year. “My goal right now is to keep working hard and try to go as far as I possibly can in the game,” says Freeman, who isn’t ruling out the possibility of one day latching onto a hockey scholarship to attend a university or college upon graduation from high school. That could also open up the door to the very real possibility of one day playing professional hockey – the dream of every Canadian boy who’s ever played the game. “I’d love to make it to that level, but it’s not something I’m focussed on right now,” says Freeman, who idolizes National Hockey League goalie Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks. Regardless of what tomorrow brings one thing remains clear…the future indeed looks bright for this budding goaltender.