Becoming a goaltender wasn’t exactly a choice for Heartlanders goalies Riley Mercer and Dante Giannuzzi. And it’s not because they were initially stars at the position. Rather, they were thrown in between the pipes due to sibling necessity.
“Whenever my older brother had his friends over, they would throw the little guy in the net, and I just kind of fell in love with it,” Giannuzzi said.
The duo each hail from Canada, Mercer from Bay Roberts and Giannuzzi from Winnipeg. Mercer played junior hockey in Canada, spending all five of his junior years playing for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, where he won a championship in 2024.
Giannuzzi went stateside and signed with the Portland Winterhawks, where he spent five years. He chose to go this route instead of going to an NCAA school and holds no regrets.
“Being able to play in one spot for your whole junior career is rare, so I’m definitely grateful for the experience, and Portland has a big spot in my heart,” Giannuzzi said.
Now, the goalies have landed in Iowa and have been holding down the goaltender room alongside William Rousseau, who has earned multiple promotions to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.
Part of the initial intrigue to the goalie position was customizable gear. Mercer also enjoys customizing his mask and has had several designs over the years, including his dog’s name and a “Hockey Fights Cancer” logo.
“My family has been affected by cancer, and I think it is a nice gesture to put it on the back of my mask and know that the ones I’ve lost are always with me,” Mercer said.
Giannuzzi’s mask designs came from different landmarks of the place he was in, including a bridge in Portland he would drive on everyday to get to the rink alongside solid color pads. He said Portland gave him new gear every season, and now five masks hang at his house back home.
The goaltender is a position completely different from all of the other skaters on the ice. This contrast calls for special drills and warmups before games. For Mercer, he partakes in a lot of balance and reactionary warmups before he hits the ice. For Giannuzzi, he talks a lot with his mindset coach, Pete Fry, who he has been working with since his Portland days.
“I get on a weekly Zoom call alongside other ECHL goalies and go through pre-faceoff routines, post-whistle routines, and a bunch of other game plans to get me through games,” Giannuzzi said.
Even though all goalies wish to lead routine shutouts, perfection isn’t reality. Mercer holds a 10-13 record with a 3.12 goals against average. He resets after giving up a goal by doing the same patterns he’s done since he was a kid.
“When I was younger, I probably got scored on more than I needed to, so I got used to it, whether that is a good or a bad thing,” Mercer said. “Now it doesn’t bother me, and I know that the next shot is the most important one.”
The goaltender is the last line of defense and the easiest person to place blame on. Throughout his career at the position, Giannuzzi grew to not only hold himself accountable but also maintain proper perspective in the face of difficulties.
“I’ve been able to relate the adversity training I’ve faced in hockey and put it towards my everyday life,” Giannuzzi said. “Somedays you’re the windshield and somedays you’re the bug, but I’d say more days than not I am the windshield.”