After starring in the NCAA at North Dakota for four years, forward Evan Trupp moved on to the ECHL this season, beginning with Cincinnati and then traded to the Bakersfield Condors on Jan. 12.
There are plenty of ways for a rookie to get noticed. Scoring a goal of the year candidate, lacrosse-style from behind the net, has to be one of the most effective:
Trupp's goal in the third period on Saturday night tied the game for Bakersfield against the Las Vegans Wranglers, eventually leading to a 4-3 shootout win for the Condors at home.
From Mike Griffith at Bakersfield.com:
"It's something we have fun with in practice and every now and then in a game when the situation arises it's one of those times where it gets the team going and gets the fans in it," Trupp said of the move. "The puck was coming over to me and was kind of on it's side so I thought I'd give it a try and sure enough it stuck on there."
… "I've seen it before on YouTube by him and he brought it back out," [Condors Coach Matt] O'Dette said. "I don't know how he did it. It wasn't like it was a slow puck coming to him."
As his coach mentioned, the speed with which Trupp decided on the shot and then executed it makes this more than your typical lacrosse-style goal. Our favorite part of the clip: The futile desperation arm raise by Wranglers goalie Mitch O'Keefe when he realizes what's coming … followed by the death stare from defenseman Michael Busto as the Condors celebrated.
The Bakersfield Condors: Not just your source for massive masked goalie line brawls, but trick shots too!