Ritchie Earns Iron Man Mask in 3-2 Win Over Dallas

Following a grinding 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night on the road, Cal Ritchie was the recipient of the Iron Man Mask, postgame locker room award.

Ritchie earned his second career NHL goal and first goal as an Islander with the opening tally, becoming the 410th player in franchise history to score for the Islanders.

Ryan Pulock chipped the puck over to Ritchie along the half wall. Ritchie made a smart pass to Duclair from the left dot before driving to the net – ready to receive the pass that he capitalized on with a one-timer past Jake Oettinger to open the scoring.

“He’s been doing some good things, forechecking, holding the puck down low,” Pulock said. “Tonight, obviously a couple good plays by him and then Duclair to get back to him, it was a good finish.”

The 20-year-old credited Duclair’s well-timed pass as well as the previous shift for the opportunity to net his first goal with the Isles.

“I thought it was a really good shift before, from Bo’s line,” Ritchie said. “We got a lot of zone time and got a chance in the o-zone, so we got out there and tried to buzz around and create something.”

Ritchie finsihed the game with four shots (two on goal, two missed) in 9:21 TOI. It marked his 10th straight game for the Islanders since he was recalled on Oct. 31. Head Coach Patrick Roy said that Ritchie is becoming a more well-rounded player and building off a strong defensive game.

“The more he’s playing, the better he’s playing,” Roy said. “I felt like the last game in Colorado he played very well and tonight again, it was nice to see him be rewarded.”

“He’s very smart defensively,” Roy added. “He’s holding more on pucks, made some great plays and he’s got so much skill and talent.”

Ritchie recieved the Iron Man Mask from Adam Pelech, who recieved the award after the Islanders' 3-2 OT win over the Utah Mammoth.