Ezzy, Matt

BORN JANUARY 2ND, 1984, at Lismore in New South Wales, Australia, he played in-line hockey in Northern NSW and was a keeper for the Gold Coast Grizzlies at Bundall in Queensland when he first represented his country. That was with the National Youth Team (U18) in Seoul in 2001, where he saved a little over 90 percent of the shots on his goal in two games and was named Best Player. Next season he was a minder in Canada's Central Hockey League with the Smiths Falls Bears, then the London Nationals of the WJHL in 2003. He later played professionally in Serbia and Netherlands, and only a contractural squeeze denied him a US Central Hockey League season in Texas.

He was scouted playing goal for Queensland by Newcastle's Coaching Director Rob Barnes at the 2003 Brown Tournament. In 2004, he was signed by the Newcastle North Stars of the AIHL taking the number one goalie place from 2003 Goodall Cup winner Trevor Battaglia when Battaglia returned to Canada. He produced a 91 save percentage across 26 games, still just 20 years-old.

He played the 2004-05 off-season with the Aurora Tigers of the Junior-A OPJHL and the Welland Jr Canadians in the GHJHL. In the 2007 off-season, he minded net in a dozen games for Crvena Zvezda in the Serbian Hockey League and, later in the 2009 off-season, he played 15 games with the Utrecht Dragons of the Eredivisie.

You might think a career average save percentage of 90 in the Australian league is impressive enough, but the consistency with which he maintained that across his eight seasons with the North Stars was staggering. It rarely varied more than a percentage point, year after a year, and usually no more than half a point. He was AIHL Champion in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and AIHL Goaltender of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. He also won three minor premierships with the North Stars.

A 190cm (6'3") veteran of eight World Championships representing Australia — 2004 to 2011 — he played a total of 38 games in Divisions 1 and 2, allowing 71 goals for a game average of 2.88. He has played more minutes for Australia (1,480) than anyone. He produced a save percentage in excess of 90 in most internationals, and his personal bests in the 2005 and 2008 Worlds were in excess of 96 percent.

North Stars photographer, Simone Thomas, has said "Matt is a great guy. When he was at the top of his game he always took time for fans and younger players". He won 2 gold medals, 3 silver and a bronze, and he was IIHF Best Goaltender in 2005, 2007 and 2008, also producing the Best Save Percentage in the latter. These individual performances are among the best of any Australian keeper. His save record is the best.

Matt Ezzy retired to focus on his flying career when his pilot technical training had ended. He was still just 28, but it was also true there was little he had not already achieved in his sport. His last game for Australia was against Serbia for the gold medal and promotion to Division 1 in Melbourne in 2011. Australia won the match 4-2. New Zealand finished with the silver after being earlier shut-out by Australia. His last game of AIHL was against Melbourne Ice at Docklands in September 2011.