Admirals goaltender Matt Murray is developing as a third-year AHL hockey player
Mitch Korn’s analogy doesn’t fit one student with a goal, but it would be especially fitting for Matt Murray of the Milwaukee Admirals.
“You can’t just turn on a computer without software and make it work,” said Korn, an instructor whose former students include Dominik Hasek and Pekka Rinne. “You have to program your computer to find and run as fast as possible.
“Well, that’s what we do. We prepare the goalkeeper for all the different situations in practice because, in the game, you don’t have time to think. You have to react. When you turn on your computer, it is programmed to process quickly and give you results.”
Murray received his master’s degree in data science from the University of Massachusetts. One day, he’ll probably use his coding and app development skills to work in the corporate world.
But Murray also won an NCAA championship with the UMass hockey team. So first things first.
“It’s definitely something I never thought I’d grow up with,” Murray said of his field of study. “Never, never been a big computer guy. So being involved with this initiative is a different world than I would have expected going into college.
“It’s really interesting. I think it’s going to be very useful for life after hockey, although I’m trying to put that off as long as possible, obviously.”
Matt Murray is in his third AHL season and first with the Milwaukee Admirals
To achieve that, the 26-year-old player from St. Albert, from Alberta, Canada, is in his first season with the Milwaukee Admirals, after a doubleheader with the Texas Stars, splitting time in net with fellow rookie Magnus Chrona.
Korn, then with the New York Islanders, watched over Murray when Murray was at UMass, setting program records for wins (73) and shutouts (14) and converting 36 assists in overtime victories. Minnesota Duluth in the national semifinals.
Now, they’ve joined the Nashville Predators organization, with Murray in free agency after 71 games with Texas (and four with the parent Dallas Stars) and Korn joining the Predators and general manager Barry Trotz as scoring director.
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Korn sees the progress Murray has made while the Islanders have been trying to sign him.
“For me, he’s really learned to use his body well,” Korn said. “He’s leaving. He processes the game well, and I felt that, especially from watching him a little bit when, after he turned pro, he wasn’t giving his body the best chance to succeed.
“And he’s been a sponge since Day 1, and we’ve tried to make some changes since Day 1 of this season. And I give him high marks. He came here wanting to do it. He came here hugging her. And he made every effort to do everything we asked of him. And, knock on wood, it’s been great so far. “
Matt Murray is among the AHL’s statistical leaders
Murray started 5-0 as the Admirals strung together an eight-game winning streak from early October to early November. Both Murray and the Admirals (12-6-1-3) fell off that pace, but he entered the week with the fourth-best save percentage (.930) in the AHL and a 2.21 goals-against average that ranked eighth.
“Obviously he wants to win every game he gets. And you want to give the boys a chance to win every game,” said Murray. “So I think the boys, that’s what I was focusing on. It’s been a good start so far, there are a few things we still have to work on, but overall, it’s been a good start. You just have to keep getting better.”
Murray is part of a growing group of players who are stepping up after college. Maturity is one benefit. But much of the good, he said, actually comes from the physical side of growing up and not just the mental side.
“College is great for development because of the simple programs you play,” Murray said. “If you go all the way, (you play) like 40 games compared to the juniors, where you play 70-thize, 80 or you’re going to go deep in the play-offs.
“I think the physical development you can get in the gym is huge for boys. You know you’re about to get to pro hockey already, it’s basically man vs. old youth, very young man. So I think that’s a big help for college players.”
How does a goal balance thinking and action?
Could there be a backlash in higher education for an analytically trained person playing a reactionary position?
For Murray, the thought is usually in practice, when he works with Admirals goaltending coach Jason Barron or when Korn comes in.
“The way the game is played today, it’s so fast that all your thoughts and everything, are thrown out of the way, and everything just becomes an emotional reaction,” Murray said.
“Thinking is when you’re on the bench between shifts (as a forward), or the puck somewhere else if you’re a goalie.”
Korn, a former college goaltender who has coached professionals for more than 30 years, agrees and goes a step further: Thought vs. Instinct is one of the many balancing acts required by the position.
“There are many skills, and some skills are completely different,” Korn said. “For example, you need to be calm to be a goalkeeper, but you need to be explosive to be a goalkeeper. You need patience to be a goalkeeper, but you need to be able to react very quickly to be a goalkeeper. They argue like that, and yet they have to do it separately. “
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