It's been two years since Tyler Bunz made his Western Hockey League debut with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
On March 5, 2008 in Edmonton against the Oil Kings, Bunz had the chance to play in front of his friends and family while still affiliated with the St. Albert Raiders after their midget AAA season came to a close, and earned a 6-3 win.
Since then, Bunz learned tips of the trade from netminder Ryan Holfeld and goalie coach J.F. Martel on the way to becoming the Tigers' starter between the pipes.
This season Bunz posted a 31-19-3-2 record and a .898 save percentage as the Tigers lost the eastern conference semifinal against the Calgary Hitmen, who are currently battling with the Tri-City Americans for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Taking over the starting reins for the Tigers this year with the departure of Holfeld to age restrictions, Bunz admitted he wasn't sure what to expect.
“Adjusting is pretty tough but with more games and experience, it helped me a lot to develop and the team played real well in front of me,” said Bunz, who is eligible for the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Assisting with the transition from backup to starter was Martel.
“He's the reason I did as well as I did this year, just by working on things in the morning and going over video. He's definitely a big part in my development,” Bunz said. “My rebound control was below par and my consistency was here and there but now I’m a lot more confident and consistent. I've been better with my rebound control and puck handling.”
This year the Tigers weren't expected to climb out of the basement in their conference, but managed to make it to the second round of the playoffs.
“We were supposed to be bottom of the pack this year and what we did was just unbelievable,” said Bunz, the Tigers’ co-MVP of the playoffs with a 6-6 record and 2.87 GAA. “We didn't have the skill we had the year before with Tyler Ennis leaving but we had some older guys stepping up.”
Bunz, 18, said the team and he, as an individual, both need to take the attitude of high expectations into the next season as well.
Bunz is finishing off his Grade 12 with correspondence and digital courses. If hockey doesn't pan out, he would like to pursue kinesiology or become a chiropractor.
