{"id":132840,"date":"2022-02-26T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=132840"},"modified":"2022-02-26T03:49:05","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T09:49:05","slug":"boyko-embraces-role-as-aurora-spartans-goaltender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2022\/02\/26\/boyko-embraces-role-as-aurora-spartans-goaltender\/","title":{"rendered":"Boyko embraces role as Aurora Spartans’ goaltender"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Josh Boyko has played a key role in helping put Aurora in a position to contend for an NCHA crown. Photo courtesy of Aurora Athletics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Josh Boyko almost didn\u2019t play college hockey. He was drafted into the OHL at the age of 16 and considered going that route. And then he got a phone call from South Kent School. That call put him on a path to becoming a standout goaltender for the Aurora Spartans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Kent School reached out and asked me to come out, and looking back on that call now, I couldn\u2019t be more grateful,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be here if wasn\u2019t for that. It\u2019s been an unbelievable experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Boyko is in the midst of another solid season with the Spartans, who are ranked 14th in the nation in the DCU\/USCHO.com NCAA Division III men\u2019s poll.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boyko has started all 25 games for Aurora, fashioning a 2.55 goals against average and racking up 674 saves. Now in his fifth and final season at Aurora, this campaign has been his best one yet. But he hasn\u2019t done it alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten a lot of support from my teammates and coaches. They\u2019ve been immensely helpful,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cThey always have my back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The time he has put into hockey at the college level has helped propel him to new heights this season as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving experience in the league has helped me big time,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned to slow the game down. I\u2019ve had a chance to play in a lot of games, and reaching the 100-game mark this year was realy cool. Being the first to do that here is awesome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Boyko said the talent on the roster as a whole has been instrumental in putting Aurora in a position to spend most of the year nationally ranked while also getting to the semifinal round of the conference tournament for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew we\u2019d have a competitive team and all of the guys have worked really hard to have a great season,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cWe\u2019ve put together some great games and we\u2019re hoping to make a push here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What has made this season extra special for Boyko is that his brother, Simon, is now on the roster. He transferred in from Vermont and has scored a team-best 18 goals. Jack Jaunich is second on the team in goals scored with 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a dream come true,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always trained together in the summer and it\u2019s been awesome to see how well he\u2019s done. We compete in practice every day. It\u2019s been a fun year with him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And the two often get quite competitive in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll finish a drill and if he\u2019s taken three or four shots and hasn\u2019t scored on me, I\u2019ll let him know it that I have his number. And vice versa. If he\u2019s done well against me, he\u2019ll give me a hard time about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Boyko and the Spartans are focused this weekend on continuing their quest for an NCHA title, facing sixth-ranked St. Norbert tonight on the road in a 7 p.m. semifinal showdown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both games in the regular season were close. The Spartans lost 2-1 and 4-3 in overtime.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we have a legit team and it\u2019s no longer a situation where we are supposed to lose. We believe we can win,\u201d Boyko said. \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to get out there and have a chance to try to make more history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

No matter how things go, it\u2019s been quite a ride for a player who has always embraced the opportunity to be a goaltender.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been lucky and blessed to play a lot of college hockey,\u201d Boyko said.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Josh Boyko almost didn\u2019t play college hockey. He was drafted into the OHL at the age of 16 and considered going that route. And then he got a phone call from South Kent School. That call put him on a path to becoming a standout goaltender for the Aurora Spartans. \u201cSouth Kent School reached out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":132841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[820],"coauthors":[821],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBoyko embraces role as Aurora Spartans' goaltender - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Josh Boyko almost didn\u2019t play college hockey. He was drafted into the OHL at the age of 16 and considered going that route. 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