A Better Look At Former Viper Goaltender Andrew Hammond:

James V. Dowd of Inside College Hockey has a good write up on former Vernon Vipers goaltender, Andrew Hammond. Hammond who is entering his second season with Bowling Green University played two years in Vernon (2007-2009).

This was posted on the Inside College Hockey website:

August 26, 2011

INCH A-Z: Andrew Hammond

By James V. Dowd

ANDREW HAMMOND
Bowling Green
Jr. | G | Surrey, B.C.

Key Statistics: After splitting starts with then senior Nick Eno for the first half of last season, Hammond took over as the Falcons’ No. 1 goaltender in the second half of the year, starting 16 of the his team’s 21 games after their December break. On the year, Hammond, who compiled a 2.67 goals against average and a .915 save percentage, was the goaltender of record for six of Bowling Green’s 10 wins, including an unforgettable 44-save effort at Northern Michigan that propelled the Falcons to the second round of the CCHA playoffs.

What He Does: ­Coach Chris Bergeron points to Hammond’s maturity as the key to the goaltender’s success. The junior has developed excellent practice habits and that dedication has translated into on-ice success throughout his first two years at Bowling Green. Hammond is a proven winner at the junior level and that winning mentality is extremely valuable in keeping his teammates focused on the long run despite disappointing short-term results.

The Bigger Picture: Hammond is a top-notch goaltender, but his impact will be as important in future years as it is this season. It doesn’t seem that there’s a magic elixir that will turn the Falcons into contenders for conference titles and NCAA tournament bids next spring, but it seems safe to say that Bowling Green hockey is off of life support. The Falcons have been invited to join the WCHA with the other CCHA programs that were left behind by the Big Ten, the National College Hockey Conference, and Notre Dame and appear to have a healthy future ahead of them. Obviously, one key to that prophesy being realized will be more on-ice success. While Bergeron declined to put his goals for this season in terms of a number of wins or a place in the standings, he knows that his team has to improve in all facets of the game with special teams as a main focus, and Hammond will be a key part of that effort. He will help steady the defensive effort of one of the nation’s youngest teams and, as an example of how to do things right in practice and off the ice, he’ll help those young players establish the kind of habits that will take the Falcons up the standings over the next few years, even after he’s gone.

Bowling Green Coach Chris Bergeron on Hammond: “We were in a one-and-one situation to begin last year with Nick Eno starting Fridays and Andrew starting Saturdays. They knew that going into the year and that we would go with that until someone struggled or someone separated themselves as giving the team the best chance to win. For Andrew, it was more of the latter. We thought he gave the team the best chance to win. With that, he has created the expectation that he will pick up where he left off.”