Dryden McKay reflects on record-breaking year

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) — Just two months into the season, Minnesota State senior netminder Dryden McKay exceeds several NCAA and program records.

Over the weekend, McKay picked up a shutout against Lake Superior State, extending the NCAA men’s hockey career shutouts record to 30.

KEYC’s Mary Rominger sat down with the senior netminder to talk about how the season is going.

Mary Rominger: Dryden, the night that you broke the NCAA men’s career shutout record was thrilling for a lot of people, including your teammates, were there any special messages you got from people close to you in the hockey community that will always stay with you in memory?

Dryden McKay: It was really cool first of all to see everybody here at MSU, all their reactions and just getting texts from former teammates and even some goalies that I’ve played against through the ranks that I didn’t personally know was really cool and I got an email from my namesake Ken Dryden which was probably the cherry on top for sure. One of my goals was, fingers crossed when it happened was to do it at home in front of our fans, especially after last year not having any fans. I mean, we play such a defense-first style that most nights if I stop the ones that I’m supposed to stop and the team in front of me does a great job of limiting opponents’ chances and keeping them to the outside, we’ll see. Obviously, first and foremost we want to win and a shutout is just the cherry on top.

MR: You mention that defense first style, that is something that gives you guys a ton of success. It starts with the defense that Coach Hastings preaches and then it can lead to production.

DM: Yeah, ever since I stepped foot on campus here it’s been defense first and whether it’s our top line guys blocking shots or our defensemen selling out, we just play really good puck-possession style and it’s hard for the other team to get scoring chances when you have the puck the majority of the games, so I think that’s been a big key to our success and something we try to do every game.

MR: I know you still have time to go in your college hockey career, but if you look at the top moments that you’ve been able to experience, which will be ones up to this point that will stay with you forever. And, we talked about one already, I’m sure.

DM: Yeah, I’ll pick two, the regional championship game last year you know shutting out the Gophers and going to the Frozen Four and making the history for the school and seeing the overall excitement from the city of Mankato was something I’ll never forget. Also, that championship game my freshman year against Bowling Green, the super dramatic comeback, just winning the championship game that way, that’s probably the one game that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

MR: Another exciting moment that is going to come in just a month and a half is hockey day in Minnesota coming to Mankato, what are you most excited about in facing the Tommies at the home of MSU football.

DM: It’s going to be really cool to play outside, I know I’ve never played a hockey game outside and I know there’s quite a few guys on the team that haven’t played outside. That’s going to be really cool. I think we’re going to have a little bit of a bigger crowd out there and I think just also seeing so far all the behind-the-scenes work, how hard so many people in town are working to make it a success, we’re all just super excited to get there and but apart of that special event. Hopefully it’s not too cold, hopefully it’s bareable and I guess as a goalie the one factor would be snow, snow getting in your eyes and maybe the reflections of the lights off the ice or something, but I think it’s going to be such a special event that none of that stuff is really going to matter once the puck drops.>

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