What a difference a healthy Guy Blessing has made for Air Force hockey.
The junior goaltender bounced back from a season-ending surgery at the mid-point of last season to play reasonably well in the first few months this season. He’s turned it up several notches over the past two months. Blessing has a 2.37 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in the past 12 games. He made 40 saves last Friday at Army West Point to help Air Force sweep the Service Academy season series.
The following is pieced together from two interviews with Blessing — early in the 2023-24 season and then over the holiday break.
>> READ about Class of 2024: Adams |Balboa| Brennan | Brown | Gavin | Horn | Marti | Robinson | Rowe |
At what point did you decide to become a goalie?
I was probably 6 or 7 years old and saw my brother Jack doing it. He’s four years older than me and he looked really cool in the pads. I was a terrible forward so making that transition to goalie ended up being a blessing in disguise because I am not a fast skater. It’s nice being able to stay in one place all the time. I just fell in love with it. I’m not the fastest skater in the world so it was a good fit.
A lot of people have misconceptions about goalies. (We won’t say what those are.) As part of the goalie fraternity, are some of those misplaced or are they valid?
How do you like to spend your free time on the rare occasions you have some?
Golfing. Our course here at the Academy is fantastic. I’m not good at it, but I like to get out there with our group. We’re fortunate that a large majority of the team likes to golf. That’s a fun thing to get to go and do. We don’t get to go outside very often with hockey being an indoor sport so it’s nice to be out in nature and touch grass every once in a while.
Who were some of your big influences?
My family first. My dad, mom, brother and sister have been a rock for me since Day 1. This isn’t the most traditional college path, and it has its challenges. Just being able to talk to them every day and knowing they’re there for me is huge.
My friends here, especially my junior class, are going to be my best friends forever. They’re just an unbelievable group. Some of my coaches growing up. The folks at Lake Forest (Academy, in Arizona) who helped me get here. I’ve been very fortunate with the people I’ve had behind me, and I can say pretty confidently that’s why I’m here.
Were there pro goalies you looked to?
Ilya Bryzgalov was a fun one to watch with the Coyotes. He was a terrific goalie on the ice and a really funny guy to listen to off the ice. Mike Smith was big for the Coyotes and helped them go on a big playoff run in 2012. I got to go to one of those games. Once I started getting into the game seriously, Carey Price. The guy is technically unbelievable. He makes it look simple, especially against shooters of that caliber. To slow it down that much and get as close to perfecting the position as I’ve ever seen is unbelievable.
Air Force goalie Guy Blessing. Photo courtesy of Air Force Athletics
What have some of your standout moments been this season?
Army weekend (in November at Cadet Arena) was cool for sure. We didn’t play them in the first half last year. First night (when Army rallied from three goals down to force overtime), that’s college hockey in general. Every time is good. To see the resilience in overtime. The boys played virtually perfect 3-on-3. For us to come out the next night and play the way we did (a 4-1 victory), speaks to that resilience. Coming back to win in overtime at Alaska Anchorage, same thing.
You had to overcome a season-ending injury and have done so quite successfully. What was that process like?
It was tough with the injury. It’s something everybody battles at some point. I ended up having to have minor ankle surgery. Our goalie group is so strong we’re always going to be set. So it was cool to see Balbs and Parkie (Austin Park) do their thing. … The carbon on my skate had been punched in by something sharp. It dug in and tore a tendon. We discovered it on an MRI. The injury required a lot of rehab. That was the longest break I’d taken in hockey since I was young. It was tough going 6-7 months without seeing pucks. 2-3 months of practice before games helped a lot. The whole job is to give your team a chance.
What is the ultimate Guy Blessing meal?
Sushi. I’m a big sushi guy. I get that from my mom. She took my brother and me out a lot growing up. I got to go to Tokyo over the summer, which is a big reason why I requested that. It was unbelievable to try that out there.
What did you do during your three periods this past summer?
The first (three-week) block was Opps Air Force. They send all the juniors out to shadow at an actual Air Force base. I was lucky enough to get to Yukota AFB about 30 minutes west of Tokyo. I got to shadow a lot of non-rated jobs. We get exposure to a lot of pilot stuff here but not as much of the logistical stuff. Seeing the work those guys put in was unbelievable and seeing how much work goes into the mission is more than I could have imagined.
For my second block, I was home. I went home for a week and then went to Fort Worth to skate with a lot of the Brahmas, my junior team.
The third block was helping run the assault course with a lot of the guys on the team. That was a lot more fun on this side of it.
What would be your ultimate vacation?
Before I got to the Academy I probably would have given you a mountain answer. After spending so much time with (Falcons junior center) Andrew DeCarlo, he’s switched me over to beach life. How much he talks about home, being from California, sounds like a good deal. Just get to an island and sit in the sun for a while.
©First Line Editorial 2024
