Image courtesy of ISU Redbird Hockey on Facebook
NORMAL, Ill. – When most kids get into hockey, they look up to players like Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, or Cale Makar; forwards and defensemen who dazzle with skills like insane speed or quick stickhandling. For Payton Aldridge, he found inspiration somewhere else.
“I went to a Blackhawks game with my dad when I was about 8, and I liked watching Corey Crawford play,” Aldridge said. “So I just started picking it up after that.”
After years of playing goalie for teams like the Chicago Bruins AA, last year Aldridge jumped to the NA3HL.
“I think junior hockey is a huge stepping stone for college hockey players” Aldridge explained. “I mean it was really like a job there. We showed up every single day, we practiced 9 to 11 am, worked out right after that, and had film right after that.”
This year Alridge began his freshman year at Illinois State and had no plans to stop playing hockey. After committing to the ISU D3 Rolley Hockey team as a player, he also decided to try out as a goalie for the ice team. After making D2 as a backup, his name would be called to start against SIU-E after injuries led to another D2 goalie being called up.
“It was a gritty game, SIU-E is a gritty team, they outwork you if you aren’t working hard and will definitely beat you if you don’t work hard.”
But Aldridge wasn’t about to let that get in the way of his first start, which he would only let in one goal in a 4-1 win. Even after a great performance, Aldridge still talked about how well his team played in front of him.
“It felt good to watch the team pull out the win there.” Aldridge said, “everybody worked super hard and obviously we outworked SIU-E there, so it felt pretty good.”
Alridge is expected to split start with another D2 goalie Dylan Lloyd for the rest of the year. His next start is October 12th, visiting Bradley.
“I got a lot of excitement going into the Bradley Game, and ultimately hoping to pull out a win there.”