Goalies Are Not Ours

By Bobby

The ECHL South Carolina Stingrays played the Florida Everblades Saturday with an odd roster list: the Stingrays carried two Emergency Backup Goaltenders (EBUG), which are players who are not paid (which allows the league to offer amateur goaltenders a one-time shot)

Because of the costs of travel among the five ECHL South teams (Biloxi,Charleston SC, Charlotte, Duluth GA, Fort Myers FL), the league made the Stingrays-Everblades game a double match, with games on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the Stingrays were down to their #2 goaltender, Bobby Goepfert,when #1 goaltender Michal Neuvirth was recalled to Washington (NHL) in an attempt to find a backup goaltender after the Capitals had one goaltender injured. A local goaltender in a Fort Myers recreational league who is on the ECHL's list of EBUG's was called by the Stingrays to be the backup goaltender for the Friday game against the Everblades.

After the Stingrays win, Goepfert was called the next morning, as the Capitals affiliate in Hershey (PA) needed a goaltender there. Under ECHL rules, a team must suit up two goaltenders. Both Stingrays goaltenders were gone, and in order to meet the two-goaltender rule, and the ECHL's salary cap, the Stingrays had to play with two EBUG's, which are unpaid players. The Stingrays had to sign a single-A (Southern Professional Hockey League) goaltender as a technical EBUG because he was "recalled" from the SPHL to the AA-level ECHL. The SPHL goaltender was still able to give the Stingrays a win.

You might wonder how can a team get away with both goaltenders recalled, and having one rank amateur goaltender, and one goaltender under contract to a lower-level minor league for a roster Saturday. He might have played himself into consideration by an ECHL team or higher.