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At a lanky 6-foot-3, Syracuse Crunch rookie goalie Kristers Gudlevskis has the range to cover a lot of net.

(Scott Schild | SSchild@syracuse.com)

While many athletes profess that they'd rather win than take their next breath, Syracuse Crunch rookie netminder Kristers Gudlevskis might soon be starting at precisely that choice.

Gudlevskis, admittedly the superstitious sort, has a problem.

He has two masks. One is a plain white one that he wears in practice. It fits perfectly.

The other carries the design of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's worn it in four games this season, and is 4-0 with it (including an NHL preseason contest). But it doesn't fit well and Gudlevskis has trouble breathing in it.

"Maybe I'm just in bad shape,'' Gudlevskis joked after practice Tuesday.

Hardly. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, the 21-year old is the picture of youthful health. But in a position of needing as many wins as possible, and also requiring the standard amount of oxygen, Gudlevskis knows he's looking at a difficult bottom-line decision.

"If I'm going to play, it's going to be a really hard choice,'' Gudlevskis said.

Either way it goes, Gudlevskis is unlikely to be thrown off his game by much. He has a way of shrugging off issues outside the periphery of what he sees when he glowers out from his net.

Saturday, Gudlevskis made his AHL debut with a 5-0 shutout of Bridgeport. That was nice for about 10 minutes. Then, yawn.

"It was only one game. You need to prove yourself every game,'' Gudlevskis said. "You need to be consistent.''

This preseason with Tampa Bay, Gudlevskis got an exhibition game start against St. Louis. He gave up a goal on the very first shot he faced.

Syracuse goalie coach David Alexander smiled a bit when that happened. Not because he wanted to see Gudlevskis struggle, but rather because he wanted to build a scouting report on how hard he fought to win.

Very hard, as it turned out. Gudlevskis allowed just one more goal the rest of the game and picked up the victory.

"I was happy it started that way,'' Alexander said of the quick score. "You want to put guys in tough situations and see what they are made of. He recaptured it, and he was great. He could have gone into a state of panic there. That was the moment for me, (knowing) he has the mental tools to do it.''

Gudlevskis similarly slipped out of the starting while gate playing for his native Latvia in the 2013 World Championships. He said he allowed a score on his first shot in that competition, but rebounded to go 2-2 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.22 goals-against average in the tournament.

"It's not so bad,'' Gudlevskis said of such mishaps. "It's not like the world's end. You continue playing.''



Gudlevskis has used that mentality to bob his mask above the sea of international goalies and make a name for himself coming out of a country that falls short of a pro hockey factory.

He played in 56 games with HC Riga in Russia's top junior league, the MHL, last season, posting a 27-18 record with a .927 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average with three shutouts. He also appeared in two games with the Riga Dinamo of the KHL last season, his debut in Europe's top league, producing a 1-1 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.18 goals-against average.

"Any time you get a chance to be in a situation that's high pressure, that's something you can draw on,'' Alexander said. "He can keep it in his bag of tricks and use it later.''

His performance in the World Juniors earned him honors as one of the top three players on the Latvian team as selected by coaches in the tournament. It also opened the door to a pro career - Tampa Bay took him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft.

"If I didn't play in the world championships, I don't think I'm going to be here,'' Gudlevskis said. "That's how they (Tampa Bay) find me. It's really hard to get here (the pros) from Latvia. I don't think there's lots of scouts in Latvia. I'm really happy I'm here.''

Gudlevskis plays with a clear eagerness to please. His lanky, smooth appearance belies a scrappy approach apparent in the Sound Tigers win. He took command in a few scramble situations around the net, fighting to bat away an initial shot and springing back into position for a rebound.

"That's how I am in practice, and that's how I play. I think all the shots are really important,'' he said. "I think all the goalies are nervous. But I like the feeling. You really concentrate and push yourself. It's a battle in your mind.''

After the game, Crunch coach Rob Zettler said he thought Gudlevskis wasn't challenged much. Tuesday, Zettler said after watching the video again it was apparent that the rookie did see some quality shots was able to handle them with impressive cool.

"He knows the technical game really well, but he has the ability to break out of it when he needs to,'' Alexander said. "He has very good coordination and awareness. A lot of it is just instinct. Part of it, too, is an understanding of the game.''

Gudlevskis will likely return to Florida of the ECHL within a week or so, when Syracuse co-starter Riku Helenius recovers from a minor upper body injury. Gudlevskis will remains a Crunch fill-in for the rest of the season, brought back when either Helenius or Cedrick Desjardins is injured or recalled to Tampa Bay.

Even if both those veterans clear out after this season, Gudlevskis will need to attack the challenge of career advancement in the organization with the same fight he springs on opposing shooters.

Tampa Bay is locked into Ben Bishop (26) and Anders Lindback (25). Goalie prospect Andrey Vasilevskiy was a first-round pick by the Lightning in 2012. Adam Wilcox, a sixth-round pick in 2011, is a standout at the University of Minnesota.

That's a lot of young, talented bodies for one crease, but Gudlevskis looks into the future and can see a role for everyone.

"It's going to be OK. We push each other more,'' he said. "It will be best for all of us.''