Freshman Barron Stibbe scored a Michigan goal against Toledo on Friday night at Bird Arena, sending the crowd ablaze.
Stibbe has made himself a notable rookie this season, totaling 11 points so far. But his performance last night took it to a whole new level. The video of Stibbe’s shot was posted on College Hockey Buzz’s Instagram account soon after the goal, and the reel is currently sitting at 33.2K views and over 1,000 likes.
Stibbe’s shot, called " The Michigan," although first performed by previous players, is named after Mike Legg’s goal for the University of Michigan in the 1996 NCAA tournament against the University of Minnesota.
The goal requires impressive skill, being described as “one of the hardest and most impressive moves in the game.”
After the game, Stibbe shared his excitement about the goal and the thought process that went behind it.
“It was pretty cool,” Stibbe said. “I’ve tried it a few times this year, but finally was lucky to get one to go in. It was more like instinct ... I had the puck behind the net, I knew I had a good amount of time, and I just tried to get it on my stick. It stayed and went in.”
To successfully execute the ‘"Michigan goal," the player must lift the puck off the ground, skate it around the corner of the net, and shoot it into the goal without hitting the goalie or coming in over the crossbar, which would invalidate the goal for the puck being played with a high stick.
Head Coach Lionel Mauron was truly impressed post-game by the amount of skill displayed by Stibbe that night.
“That was sick,” Mauron said. “I haven’t seen him yet but I can’t wait to, it’s crazy. The skills that these guys have are insane.”
Mauron has also been taking note of Stibbe’s effort in recent games, mentioning his energy and work ethic on the ice.
“He worked super hard, he plays with speed, I think he’s one of the freshmen that really stepped up in the second semester, and I’ve seen him come such a long way,” Mauron said.
Considering his efforts so far this semester, it is likely that Stibbe will take the energy from his skill-required goal last night and continue to make himself stand out on the ice.
