Nikita Serebryakov knows at least one word in English.

“Stan,” the Russian netminder said with a beaming smile, his eyes widening with excitement as he heard translator Pavel Shtefan utter the name of Stan Matwijiw.

Last summer, Serebryakov spent two weeks attending Bandits Goalie School, the Novi, Mich.-based camp run by the Windsor-born Matwijiw.

Tuesday at the WFCU Centre, he displayed some of the skills he learned, and in the process, once more spoiled the form charts at the World Under-17 Challenge.

Serebryakov, who blocked 51 shots in a tournament-opening 3-2 win over the United States, wasn’t as busy, but was just as sharp, turning aside 23 pucks as Russia stunned favoured Ontario 4-3 in overtime to take one semifinal.

“Most of their shots were quite dangerous,” Serebryakov said of the previously-unbeaten Ontario squad. “They were a good team, and they were shooting a lot from the centre slot.

“It was a difficult game to win.”

That performance completed a Matwijiw sweep of the semifinals. Earlier in the day, surprise starter Thatcher Demko blocked both shots he faced in the shootout as the USA edged Sweden 2-1.

A long-time student of Matwijiw’s teachings, Demko sings the praises of the man who also serves as goalie coach for the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers.

“I love Stan,” Demko said. “He’s a great coach.

“I’ve been going to him for three years – this will be my fourth – and he’s definitely the reason I’m the goalie that I am.”

Demko was added to the U.S. roster from the USHL’s Omaha Lancers when Curtis Frye contracted mononucleosis.

“I just stepped in when they called me up,” Demko said.

Looking to give Hunter Miska a breather, U.S. coach Don Granato had no qualms about handing the keys to their future to Demko.

“We had that planned,” Granato said. “Hunter had played two, and we didn’t want him to play three and potentially four in a row.

“(Demko’s) a very capable, competitive guy, and he was hungry for the opportunity. We knew he’d be ready.”

Demko’s best save was his final one in the shootout, when Sweden’s Leon Bristedt curled in a 360-degree spin on the edge of the goal crease, seeking to bury a backhander.

“He was trying to jam it in there,” Demko said. “I got my glove on it.

“I had some snow in my face, so I was just trying to sprawl and keep the puck out.”

Demko feels the strength of Matwijiw’s method is that he doesn’t seek to create cookie-cutter goalies.

“It’s more of a different type of goalie camp,” Demko said. “It’s not like he’s forcing one way of goaltending on you. It’s kind of him just giving you pointers, and letting you be the goalie that you want to be.

“It’s good. He’s not too harsh. He’s more like a guide. He’s not forcing anything on you.”

Serebryakov is of the opinion that the tweaking his puckstopping got from Matwijiw has much to do with the success he’s enjoying this winter.

“He helped quite a bit in the summer,” Serebryakov said. “There were many different moments where he helped me to play better as a goalie.

“I’m very thankful that I came to his school.”

Tuesday, the U.S. and Russia were thankful as Matwijiw’s pupils created golden opportunities for both countries.

It may not be the gold-medal match-up that Windsor fans were anticipating, but it’s a gold-medal match-up that was backstopped by a Windsorite.

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/sports/Duff+Windsor+goalie+coach+helps+Russians+victory/5942202/story.html#ixzz1iYa8VemC

Also, for those that received our annual holiday raffle prizes, congratulations, some great stuff was given away!!

Bandits looks forward to seeing all of you in the spring and summer. Good luck the rest of the season!

To sign up for upcoming clinics & camps, go to: http://www.banditsgoaltending.com/camp-registration/

Scott Wedgewood

Jack Campbell

Pro Elite Camp

Jr. Elite Camp

Walker Ice Arena, Grand Rapids

Detroit Skate Club

Compuware

City Ice Arena

Below is some video from his recent summer training and some GREAT action pictures:

Action Pictures:

PICTURES FROM THE CHARITY GAME – CLICK HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigefoundation/sets/72157626834590980/show/

By: George Sipple -Detroit Free Press Sports Reporter

The hockey community had a purpose today.

Around 1,000 people helped make the Ian Jenkins charity hockey game a success and helped launch the Big E Foundation at Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth Township.

Ian (Big E) Jenkins, considered one of the best 15-year-old goaltenders in the U.S., died last Monday, after suffering a head injury on May 19 after falling out of the bed of a pickup truck and onto pavement in Milan. Jenkins was recently drafted in the second round by the London Knights in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League draft and was supposed to play there next season.

Jenkins’ private goaltending coach, Stan Matwijiw, came up with the saying “Have a purpose” in 2003 and began using it with his students. The idea was for each of his students to have a purpose when the budding athletes went out to practice.

Jenkins and Brandon Hope of Canton really took it to heart and began writing H.A.P. on their equipment.

“Ian and I started writing that into our blockers,” said Hope, who now plays for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. “We wrote it inside our blocker because that’s the last piece of equipment we put on before we go out on the ice. If we get better at one or two things every time we’re on the ice, by the end of the year we’ll become that much better.

“Ian had a purpose in his life. He impacted so many people, friends, family. He’s still fulfilling his purpose up in heaven.”

Hope wanted everyone who came out to the event today to remember H.A.P.

“Just take something from this,” Hope said. “Think about what you do before you do it.”

Hope was among about 300 hockey players who turned out for the 4-hour event at Compuware, each donating $100 to the foundation to wear a No. 35 jersey and skate in remembrance of Jenkins.

Jenkins had told his father it wasn’t fair that some kids couldn’t afford to play hockey, and he didn’t understand why something couldn’t be done to fix that. The Big E Foundation will try to make an impact.

“I’m going to set up a foundation that’s going to help kids that need and want to play hockey to do it without their parents saying, ‘No, you can’t play because we can’t afford it,’” said Joel Jenkins, Ian’s father.

Among those who participated in Saturday’s games were members of Jenkins’ family, past and current teammates, OHL goaltenders Hope, Jack Campbell of the Windsor Spitfires and Mike Houser of the London Knights, and Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug.

Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, goaltender Chris Osgood and legend Ted Lindsay donated their time signing autographs to help raise money for the foundation.

“We’re a very tight community,” Matwijiw said of the large turnout, which included many people who had never met Ian Jenkins. “We’re people that care about each other. When the chips are down, you can count on hockey people to come together and get it done. There’s no doubt about it.”

So many goaltenders turned out that Joel Jenkins and youth hockey coach and event organizer Mike Hamilton came up with the idea of letting the goaltenders be the skaters and shoot into open nets for the first of several games that were played.

“We just said, wouldn’t it be a kick to see a goalie game,” Joel Jenkins said. “I’ve never seen it and I’ve been playing hockey since I was 4 years old. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things, and it turned out pretty good.”

A memorial service for Jenkins was held this morning before the event at Compuware. Seeing the enthusiasm of the those who turned out for the event helped comfort Joel Jenkins.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “If every parent who lost a child could have this type of celebration, it would really help them in the healing process. It doesn’t fix it, but it sure helps to know people love you.”

Big “E” Foundation website: http://www.bigefoundation.org