'NOT AFRAID'

His visor was like a windshield drowning in the rains of a tropical downpour.
Head to toe, soaked.
Totally, irrefutably, drenched.
Andrew Mangiapane knew something was in the works after scoring his hat-trick goal the other night, but a full-blown, water-bottle bath, courtesy of his teammates?

Like a championship-winning coach caught napping on the sidelines, there was no escaping the unscheduled shower.
"They wouldn't stop," Mangiapane laughed following Wednesday's practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "I don't even know who it was. Everyone? They got me in the eye, down my shirt… everywhere.
"I admit, it was fun.
"The guys are so great and to see how happy they were for me, that was cool."

Mangiapane had just put the finishing touches on his first-career hat-trick (and first-career four-point game) with an empty-net goal on Monday, capping a night that saw the Flames erase a 3-1, third-period deficit with five strikes in the final frame.
The 23-year-old was a big part of that, leading the Flames offensively and setting a new career-high in ice time with 18:45 in the process.
He's been tearing it up lately, scoring at a point-per-game clip in his last 10 tilts and is giving the Flames all kinds of options when it comes to their deployment in the top-six.
But above all else, it was the range in Mangiapane's game that turned so many heads Monday.
The 5-foot-10, 185-lb. winger fights wildly out of his weight class by winning puck battles against players much larger, hitting with the ferocity of a soul some 30-40 lbs. heavier, and doing it all at great speed and with the world-class hands that resemble the talents of a first-round pick.
It was all on display with all three of his goals, and all four of his points.

"That's the way I've been doing it my whole life," Mangiapane explained. "I've always been up against bigger players and as you develop over the years, you learn how to use it effectively.
"I actually think I can use my size to my advantage, to be honest with you. Sure, if I was bigger, maybe I'd have a longer reach or something like that, but it is what it is. You play with the cards you're dealt. I'm a little bit shorter than most guys, but I'm stable and low to the ground, so I can use it to get under guys when I make a hit."
His hat-trick tally was a prime example of that - first, making a great read and knocking the 6-foot-3, 228-lb. Ryan Getzlaf on his keister with a thunderous bump at the defensive blueline.
Talk about a mismatch.
On paper, anyway.
"It helps when you pick your spots," Mangiapane acknowledged. "On that play, (Getzlaf) kind of bobbled it, and he was maybe a bit off balance. I happened to pick up on it at the right time and decided to make a move. You don't want to get yourself in a bad spot and miss on a poke check or something like that, so put my body into him and was able to kind of take off with it. That was a nice play by Johnny, too, to give me that puck at the end. I've definitely got to say thanks to him for that."
It's that kind of effort - that physical fortitude - that interim head coach Geoff Ward says can be inspiration to other players on the bench.
"We talk about it all the time, that you've got to check for your chances," Ward said. "That was a classic case.
"He does something at the defensive end to create a turnover, and then we get some payback off it at the offensive end. It was a hard-working goal, even it was an empty-net goal, and that's a good way to get your hat-trick."

It was a big-time play, but doesn't get near the attention with how flashy the previous goal was.
With the Flames trailing by two and in dire need of a spark, the scrappy star-in-the-making was there to supply the bullets.
He beat Getzlaf to a loose puck on the near side, cut to the middle and drove wide across the hash marks, before showing great patience and hoisting a beautiful backhander over the sprawling netminder.
Mangiapane certainly has a fan behind the bench.
And rightfully so.
It all goes back to a phrase Ward has repeatedly come back to over the past few weeks about players going the extra mile and stepping outside of their comfort zones to help the team play to their potential.
"He's really strong on the puck," Ward said. "He's not afraid to take it to the hard areas. He doesn't defer and take it to the top all the time. If he sees a seam, he's going to take a puck through. You saw it on the second goal, he takes the puck off the wall on the forecheck and he's right to the net.
"The other thing with him is that he's got poise. When he gets to the inside, he's not just throwing the puck into the pads. He waits until he gets an opening and then shoots it. That poise and the fact that he wants to take the puck to the inside, to the scoring
areas - but are hard to get to - that results in more opportunities for him."

For Mangiapane, that style comes naturally.
But that 'poise' wouldn't be possible without having the wherewithal to try in the first place.
It simply takes time, experience, and a strong support group building you up on your path as a big-league regular.
Now, he's reaping the benefits.
"Especially when you're starting out and you play those first few games in the league, I knew I had the skill to play at this level, but like most players, it's about building confidence, and going out there and showing what I could do," Mangiapane said. "Obviously, when you get called up, you're told to dive right in and not dip your toe in the water, but for me, that was tough, for whatever reason.
"But every game I played, I felt like I was breaking out of my shell. I owe a lot to the coaching staff and to my linemates for sticking with me and picking me up along the way, too. You've got to have confidence to play at this level and you see that now, you see that in every player in this room - they're all confident and believe in themselves, and that's why they're here.
"Even in practice, if you're unsure of a drill, even having the confidence to ask the coach, 'Hey, what do you want from me here?' Or, to ask your teammate, 'Hey, what should we do off the draw?' Whatever it is, whether it's practice or a game situation, if you step outside of your comfort zone and really believe in yourself, you're better
prepared.
"After a while, you don't think about it anymore.
"You're just one of the guys helping the team win.