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24_V1_WAT_Dec07 By Adam Jackson Chronicle Sta� It's been nearly four years since Chris Festarini was recruited by the Laurier Golden Hawks -- and he's � nally found his stride. But it's no fault of his own. � e fourth-year business student at Laurier is in what should be his first full season between the pipes for the Golden Hawks, who are o� to their best start in eight years, after battling concussion symptoms for most of his post-secondary career. It was during his rookie season that Festarini was bowled over dur- ing a game against the Toronto Var- sity Blues that it all started. Festarini was taken o� with what appeared to be a concussion -- and as he later found out, it was severe. Festarini spent the rest of that season in the press box, and, come the 2015-2016 season, he was still unable to return to the ice. "I thought I was going to have to give up hockey," said the netmind- er. "It was all the symptoms, you name it. Headaches, di� culty con- centrating …" That was a difficult thought for the lifelong goalie. After a minor hockey career that earned looks from around the Ontario Hockey League, Festarini was drafted by the Erie Otters in 2008 at the age of 15. He would go on to play in 25 games for the Otters over three sea- sons, before being shipped o� to the Niagara IceDogs during the 2011- 2012 season. He spent most of his remaining junior eligibility with the IceDogs, suiting up in 94 games. Through the near-two seasons of severe concussion symptoms, Festarini stayed with the team and stayed involved, with the encour- agement of head coach Greg Puhal- ski. "For us, we made a commitment to him," said Puhalski before a 3-2 overtime loss to the Brock Badgers on Nov. 17. "He's a smart kid … he's not dumb and he's getting a good education. We're glad that he's playing well and it goes to show that if you stick with it, you never know when your chance will come to help your team." Finally, in the 2016-2017 sea- son, Festarini was able to return to the ice. But it didn't go exactly as planned. "I knew I was going to be rusty after not playing for nearly two years," said Festarini, who originally hails from Oakville. "� ere was a lot of rust." Rust, there was. Festarini, in four starts, had a dismal 3.65 goals against average and a .877 save percentage. In his words: "It didn't really go as planned." But now, in what will likely be his last season with the Golden Hawks, he has finally found his stride. In seven starts, Festarini is the owner of a 2.01 goals against average and a .936 save percentage, putting him in second and fourth in the league, respectively. Com- bine that with platoon-mate Colin Furlong, the owner of a 2.17 goals against average in the same amount of starts, and a .929 save percent- age, and you have the most formi- dable goaltending duo in Ontario University Athletics hockey. Com- bined, Furlong and Festarini have the third-lowest goals against aver- age in the league at 2.30. Riding the hot goaltending thus far, the Golden Hawks are owners of a 10-3-2 record through 15 games this season, putting them in first place in the western division. While Puhalski admits that goal- tending has had a signi� cant impact on the team this season, he said the group is playing with a different type of energy. "They're never giving up and they're playing hard." After a lengthy exam break, the Golden Hawks return to action Jan. 5 when they host the Ryerson Rams. 24 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • Th ursday, December 7, 2017 Serving your community since 1856 SPORTS WATERLOO CHRONICLE Concussion comeback Festarini's return to form bolsters surging Golden Hawks hockey team ADAM JACKSON PHOTO Goalie Chris Festarini has been a signi� cant part of the resurgence of Laurier men's hockey this season. After missing nearly the entire � rst two seasons of his post-secondary career due to a concussion, Festarini has � nally rounded into form. ONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in commonONE thing in common • Walt Disney • H. Ross Perot • Bob Hope • Ed Sullivan • Danny Thomas • John Wayne • Bing Crosby • Jimmy Durante • Dwight D. Eisenhower • Herbert Hoover • Martin Luther King Jr. • Harry S. Truman • Isaac Asimov • Carl Sandburg • Tom Brokaw • Wayne Gretzky • Dr. Norman Vincent Peale • Warren Buffett • Jackie Robinson These famous personalities all started their careers DELIVERING NEWSPAPERS ROUTES NOW AVAILABLE! Join the list! 519-895-5690 61 47 -0 01