Pagliero receives CHL goaltending honor

HIDALGO, Texas – Sometimes, what defines an athlete has as much to do with character as it does ability. Once asked who inspired him most, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees goalie Juliano Pagliero could have named his favorite player, Roberto Luongo, but instead placed his father, Moreno at the top of the list “because of the sacrifices he makes for the people he loves”.

That says a lot about the 26-year old athlete who has displayed both character and ability in establishing himself as one of the Central Hockey League’s outstanding young net minders this season. On Tuesday, Pagliero was named the Oakley/CHL Goaltender of the Week for the period ending October 31, 2010. The former Niagara University star displayed a stellar performance in net last week, earning points in both of his starts, including a 40-save shutout performance versus the Mississippi RiverKings on Saturday night. The Killer Bees won the game 2-0, with Pagliero stopping 28 shots in the second and third periods combined. On Thursday, the 6’ 0”, 200-pound native of Dalroy, Alberta made 29 saves during regulation play in a 2-1 shootout loss at Bossier-Shreveport. During the overtime period, Pagliero stopped all seven shots faced.   Pagliero has started in six of the Killer Bees’ seven games this season, registering a 3-1-2 record, with each loss by one goal. He leads all CHL goalies in minutes played (369:33) and saves (192) and is currently ranked fourth in the league with a 1.95 GAA and fifth with a .941 save percentage. The 26-year-old played professionally last season in Italy after a standout career at Niagara where he finished his college career with a 47-32-11 record. He earned a spot in the Purple Eagles’ record book for best overall save percentage (.921), second-best goals against average (2.61), second-most saves (2,699), second-most shutouts (8) and third-most wins (47). He was named the College Hockey America (CHA) conference Player of the Year following his senior season of 2008-09, when he posted a 16-13-3 record and 2.39 goals-against average. He had three shutouts that season, with two of those earning him Niagara’s consecutive shutout streak record (169:03). Killer Bees Head Coach Chris Brooks knew Pagliero, who attended NHL Developmental Camps with the Ottawa Senators in 2008 and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009, would be a tremendous prospect in net for the team this season.
 
“When Juliano came available this off-season and decided he was not going to go back to Europe, he became a priority,” Brooks said after Pagliero’s signing was announced. “He is driven to play at the highest level he can play at here in North America, and he proved that in deciding not to go back overseas.”
 
The Killer Bees, currently in third place in the CHL’s Berry (Southern) Conference, will host the hapless 2-5-0 Odessa Jackalopes at the State Farm Arena on Friday and Saturday nights. Contact the author/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com