The Islanders equipment manager filled in for Ilya Sorokin at Friday's practice.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders hit the ice for a quick practice on Friday morning, starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin wasn’t present.
Instead, there was a mystery man between the pipes opposite Semyon Varlamov:
It turns out that the man filling in for Sorokin was Islanders equipment manager Lenny DiCostanzo.
The Islanders weren't taking it easy on him, rifling shots to the corners. But Leni held his own, and any time he flashed the leather or kicked out a pad, the guys showed the love with stick taps and cheers.
When the Islanders wrapped up the practice, they made sure to wait for their equipment manager before breaking things down at center ice.
Islanders forward Mathew Barzal enjoyed Leni being out there.
"I love it," Barzal said with a giant smirk. "You can get confidence, picking corners and stuff. "You can't really score on Sorokin or Varlamov."
When we spoke with head coach Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, I asked him how come he didn't get between the pipes?
"I didn't want to embarrass myself," Roy said. "I know when I'm going down, but I don't know when I'm getting back up. That's the problem."
Roy said that Sorokin, who has started the three games, is expected to start against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.