The Darien Times

Micro Max: Rothston’s 1.5 goals against a macro factor in Wave rise to No. 1

Written by Steven Buono
Monday, February 13, 2012 10:18 PM

Boys Hockey

Max Rothston’s route to the Blue Wave net is nothing too unusual.

His goals against? That’s what’s from outer space.

Or better, it’s more like inner space, a spec of a figure pulled from the lens of a microscope at 1.501.

The FCIAC First Team and all-state senior goalie’s backstopped the team goals against to an even more close to invisible 1.467.

Helping Rothston out whittling down that number, back-up, senior Hunt Bartram sporting a .750 and underclassman Michael Collins a 2.267 in their limited time in goal.

Rothston played Darien Youth Hockey from his start and prior to joining DHS, where he became all-league and all state his junior season, was with the Sea Coast Kings (UA) Midget team playing out of Terry Conners Rink.

“I was there with kids from all over the FCIAC,” said Rothston. “Prep, I had a kid from Ridgefield, Wilton, Stamford, Trinity, all of them. It was a very skilled team.”

Rothston backstopped DYH Bantam A travel to nationals prior to that.

“Now, every game we play, I know at least a couple of kids on (each) team,” said Rothston of his time back with the Sea Kings. “It’s a win-win.”

He faced teams from around the region in an important prep for what was to become a high school career climbing for a championship precipice.

“Boston teams, we played up in Vermont, Westchester teams,” Rothston said. “And we beat up on some teams too, we had some wins.”

And even when beatings came by way of needing to stop a pepper spray of pucks against those teams from Boston, all was well and good.

“Experience is the main thing,” he said of what he gained. “The pace was much faster, I got a better perspective of what it would be like playing outside of Conn. high school hockey. Like, Mass. triple A and all that. And these teams are very good.”

League No. 1 Darien (12-3 overall, 9-0 FCIAC) goes for its 12th win straight against New Canaan at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“We’re putting up a huge winning streak right now, not letting in a lot of goals,” said Rothston. “With us, at the top now, I hope we can carry into the FCIAC, far enough that we can see Ridgefield again in the final.”

Rothston made 23 stops in the Wave’s 4-2 win over the Tigers at home Saturday to take first place.

What’s his style?

“Just a traditional style butterfly goalie,” he said. “Fundamental.”

He plays the angles like a traditional, extinct now in fact, standup netminder of old. He’s got that type of handle on the geometry, no?

“Absolutely,” he said, developing his angle play when angles were degrees larger for him several years back. “I was much smaller, covering the net was much harder than it is now.”

He shot up in height the end of his freshman year.

“I grew just a ton,” he added. “And after that it just went uphill from there.”

It’s way up in the realm of consciousness where only good goalies can fly that he finds himself when he’s on.

But don’t ask him to diagram the play up at the other end of the rink.

Knowing the play as it happens — and he does, like an all-seeing eye housed in the cage — when it’s all over, it goes away just as fast. As if waking from a scantily recalled yet highly lucid dream.

“It’s one of those things where, all my job is to do is to stop the puck,” Rothston said. “And make sure they stay out of the net. I’ll worry about the offense later.”

Just as his goaltending is worrying offenses all around the state.

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