ROANOKE, Va.--After spending the 2018-19 season in Sweden with the Viking HK, Austyn Roudebush '18 found a home in Mentor, Ohio, with the Mentor Ice Breakers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL).
Roudebush earned the title of starting goaltender this season in Mentor, starting in 24 out of Mentor's 28 games this season while posting a 2.73 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. The IceBreakers described him as one of the FPHL's most valuable players this season as he's posted a new franchise record for saves in a game not once, but twice this season--the latest being a 63-save effort in a shootout loss to the defending champion Carolina Thunderbirds.
Roudebush ranks top ten in both GAA and save percentage and leads the league's netminders in time played this season, spending 1427 minutes and 42 seconds in net while compiling an 11-11-2 record as the IceBreakers have posted a 13-13-2 record overall.
After his stellar season so far, Roudebush earned a call up to the Southern Professional Hockey League this week where he will spend time in Roanoke, Virginia, with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. The Rail Yard Dawgs play three games this weekend, the first coming Friday night against Knoxville on the road.
During his time at Adrian College, Roudebush completed a perfect season his senior year, going 26-0 en route to the Bulldogs' first American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 1 National Championship in 2018. He posted a career record of 64-2 in his four seasons to go along with a .942 save percentage and 1.68 GAA while posting 17 shutouts.
"We are extremely excited for Austyn moving up to the SPHL," said Adrian ACHAMD1 head coach Gary Astalos. "The first thing many people notice about Austyn is that he has a tireless work ethic and he always wants to get better on the ice. I couldn't be happier for him to advance his pro career as he is not only a really good goalie but a really good person off the ice as well."
With the call-up, Roudebush becomes the second ACHAMD1 alum to play in the SPHL in the last two seasons after Brad Kobryn '18 made his debut in October 2018 with the Huntsville Havoc.
#CommittoExcellence #W2D #GoDawgs #BulldogProud
--Story and photo courtesy courtesy of Carly Costello '20, author of the blog For the Love of the Game
