HERSHEY, PA — Mitchell Gibson notched a huge milestone in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays earlier this season.
The 24-year-old Harvard graduate scored a goalie goal in the Stingrays’ 8-5 win over the Savannah Ghost Pirates on December 1, 2023.
Gibson didn’t score in typical fashion though. The Capitals’ 2018 fourth-round pick was the beneficiary of a huge mistake the Ghost Pirates made during a delayed penalty call, passing the puck into their own net. He was awarded the goal because he was the last player to touch the puck on South Carolina.
The tally made Gibson the 16th goaltender in ECHL history to score in a game. He was also the victorious goaltender on the night, notching 23 saves.
I caught up with Gibson after the Hershey Bears’ Teddy Bear Toss game in January. With Hunter Shepard called up to Washington, Gibson made 22 saves in Hershey’s 3-2 overtime win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, earning his second career AHL victory.
“Big deal, obviously a packed house,” Gibson said. “I’ve always wanted to go to [a Teddy Bear Toss game] as a kid. I’ve heard about them growing up. So, to play in my first one was pretty special. The celebration and everything with the teddy bears was amazing. But, to win on top of that I think everybody went home happy.”
When I asked about his goalie goal, Gibson admitted it was a thrilling but also weird experience.
Here’s the full transcript of our chat.
What was the experience like scoring without flicking it into the net yourself? Walk me through the experience.
Mitchell Gibson: “Definitely a unique one. Never gone through that in my life, my first one. It was a strange game first and foremost and we got a penalty. A rebound came, hit off my stick to the back corner. Puck went all the way down, I didn’t even realize it at the time. Everybody kind of celebrated. No one really knew what was going on. And I remember my goalie partner down there, Garin Bjorklund, grabbed the puck from the ref. And I was like, ‘Oh that’s a strange thing to do,’ because I thought the one guy that celebrated, he scored before. And they took a little bit on the announcements to announce a name for the goal. So after a pretty significant pause I was like, ‘Eh, maybe this could be me,’ and then they announced it. But, we were killing a penalty at the same time, too. So it was one of those things where I was obviously happy and a little perplexed as to the whole situation, but we’re trying to kill a penalty at the same time. So, definitely unique, but very grateful for it after.”
What were your teammates’ reaction?
Mitchell Gibson: “They were all making fun of me. It was one of those things, just laughing. ‘Great snipe.’ All that stuff. ‘It went post and in.’ They all just thought it was the craziest thing ever. Yeah, we [had] a lot of laughs after.”
Was there anything that made the goal especially memorable?
Mitchell Gibson: “My parents were actually there. It was their first time that they came down to South Carolina to see me play. First game they were in the stands. So just to have them come down and see that in person – they’ve been to thousands of hockey games of mine, but they’ve never seen that happen. That was a pretty special moment.”
What did you end up doing with the goal puck?
Mitchell Gibson: “I gave it to my parents. I gave it to my dad immediately. He was flying home the next day. I said, ‘I don’t want to lose this thing, you take it,’ and he’s got a little stack of pucks in his office, so that’s in better hands there.”
You’ve gotten an opportunity to play in the AHL with Hershey this season. What’s that been like?
Mitchell Gibson: “A lot of hotel rooms so far, staying nearby. It’s been a battle that way, just getting called up and called down. Just staying ready whenever I can (and) also playing well, too. I get called up here, maybe get a game or two. Go down to South Carolina, play down there, as well. I just want to play at my highest level in both leagues.”
