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Peter Peeters Could Have The Secret


Secrets to Ward
By DEREK VAN DIEST, EDMONTON SUN


TARRYTOWN, New York -- Pete Peeters could turn out to be the Edmonton Oilers secret weapon in the Stanley Cup final.

The Oilers goaltending coach knows Carolina Hurricanes puck stopper Cam Ward better than practically anyone else on the team.

Peeters saw Ward play extensively in Red Deer.

"My son (Trevor) played a year and a half in Red Deer, so we were obviously down there watching Red Deer play a lot," said Peeters, following practice in Tarrytown, New York, yesterday.

"He was a tremendous junior goalie. He probably didn't get a fair shake with the Canadian National junior team, but he had the last laugh. Here he is in the Stanley Cup finals."

Ward took over the goaltending duties after Hurricanes veteran Martin Gerber struggled in the first round of the playoffs.

The 22-year-old Sherwood Park native took over in Game 2 against the Montreal Canadians. He then backstopped the Hurricanes to four straight victories as they overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the series in six games.

He's been the Hurricanes primary playoff goaltender since.

"His mother and father are great parents and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Peeters said. "He's a great individual. He's got a great demeanour for a goaltender, he's very focused and has unbelievable natural talent."

Peeters would not divulge what information he was passing along to the Oilers snipers. That information stays within the walls of the Oilers war room.

But he was not surprised by Ward's success this early in his career.

"I'm really happy for him," Peeters said. "I remember talking to his dad before the lockout and he was really excited Cam was going to Carolina.

"I told him the best thing for Cam to do was to go to the minors first to get his feet under him. Obviously he had a great year in the American Hockey League. You don't want to bring a young guy too quick and I think Carolina has done a great job of having him and a veteran guy like Gerber. I think they have a great relationship with Gerber and Ward and it speaks for itself - they're in the Stanley Cup final."

Ward spent most of the regular season as the Hurricanes backup. He played in 28 games, amassing a 14-8 record with a 3.68 goals against average and an .882 save percentage.

The former Red Deer Rebel was the Hurricanes top pick (25th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

"He's very solid," said Oilers forward Jarret Stoll, who played against Ward in the Western Hockey League.

"He's got good legs, he butterflies very well. Everything down low he covers very well. He does a good job filling the net very effectively - even up high there's not much room."

Stoll had to go through Ward and the Rebels on his way to a Memorial Cup championship in 2002 with the Kootenay Ice.

Looking back, he's not surprised how quickly Ward progressed and how well he's done in the playoffs.

"No, not at all," Stoll said. "He was great back then. He got drafted high and he stepped right in. He's very mature. You can tell, he's stepped in like a veteran. He's got a lot of confidence, things are going well for him, and our goal is to get to him."







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