April 5, 1990
Monsignor Bonner hockey coach Ted Dolan remembers the first time he saw goalie Mike Matera.
“I don’t even think his head reached the crossbar when we had him on the ice,” Dolan said of Matera as a Bonner freshman. “He was not even 5 feet tall; he was definitely less than 100 pounds. With his equipment on, all you would see is his head and his feet. It looked like he had no body in between.”
Now a senior, Matera has grown to 5 feet, 6 inches and 135 pounds, just enough to help carry the Friars through the early rounds of the Flyers Cup Championship.
The Eastern League MVP stopped 40 shots in Bonner’s 1-0 upset of Malvern Prep March 27 and was strong in the net two days later when the Friars defeated West Chester East, 5-2.
“He’s not hotter than during the season,” Dolan said. “He pretty much treats each game the same. His forte all year has been the big save, to stop the other team’s momentum or turn it the other way.”
His coach figures Matera’s strength is his quickness.
“He’s improved in all areas of the game,” Dolan said. “He’s handling the puck quicker. He’s even gotten quicker.” His coach figures Matera’s strength is his quickness.
“I worked on little things,” said Matera, who split time at goalie last season. “My quickness and moving around. When I’m down on the ground, I worked on getting up as quick as possible.”
Now Dolan figures his goalie is one of the top two or three in Southeastern Pennsylvania. “This year, Mike’s stepped up his game an extra level,” Dolan said.
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