WATERLOO - When it comes to scouting, recruiting and drafting players, P.K. O'Handley and his Waterloo Black Hawks coaching staff have had hits and misses.

In 2006, O'Handley knew he was getting a proven commodity when he took forward Billy Maday with the second overall pick of the United States Hockey League May draft.

O'Handley also thought he found the right players to replace departed goalie Joe Grossman.

With no goalies on the Black Hawks' roster, O'Handley took NAHL veteran Tim Krystosek and Pikes Peak Midget Major AAA goalie Corson Cramer with Waterloo's next two picks in the third and fourth rounds.

Krystosek and Cramer never played a game for the Black Hawks.

It was unfortunate for Krystosek and Cramer, but fortunate for then little-known Matt DiGirolamo.

"Funny story," O'Handley said. "We went into our first tryout camp a month later and after the weekend, I wasn't happy with the goaltending situation.

"So we went to pointstreak, scoured the North American League stats and found a kid that was 10-0-0, invited him to camp and the rest is history."

The record was actually 9-1-0, but DiGirolamo, rotating with Canadian Ryan Rondeau, helped deliver the Black Hawks their first Anderson Cup trophy and to within one victory of a Clark Cup Championship last year. He won 22 games, was named to the USHL all-star team and earned first-team all-USHL honors.

"That's a pretty good rookie year," quipped O'Handley.

There is also more to the winding story on how DiGirolamo got to Waterloo.

O'Handley researched DiGirolamo extensively, contacting former Chicago Steel coach Wil Nicol, who had drafted the 16-year old DiGirolamo in the 2005 USHL Entry Draft for the Steel.

Nicol pointed the Black Hawks to respected goalie coach Chris Economou - DiGirolamo's personal goalie coach.

And then, DiGirolamo got to Waterloo only after getting cut by the Des Moines Buccaneers, who had taken him in the 2006 USHL draft.

"I guess, at least they thought, I didn't have a good showing," explains DiGirolamo on his experience in Des Moines.

Despite being drafted twice by USHL teams, DiGirolamo was still a relatively unknown quantity.

DiGirolamo had ended with Texas in NAHL after Nicol was let go by the Steel, but a knee injury forced him to miss almost two months of the NAHL regular season. That, and a red-hot goalie by the name of Troy Redmann, saw DiGirolamo see action in only 11 games.

Eleven games, none that O'Handley or any of the Black Hawks coaches had seen, is not a lot to go on other than the 9-1-0 record.

But when DiGirolamo got to Waterloo, O'Handley saw something Des Moines had failed to see in the Penllyn, Pa., native - a fiery, passionate player.

"He has passion for his position, passion for hockey," explains O'Handley. "He believes in himself, and I think that is a good thing for a goalie."

DiGirolamo also understands he received his 'golden ticket' when he got the call from Waterloo.

"I didn't expect to split time," DiGirolamo said. "I came into the season expecting to play 12, maybe 15 games. To split time was unbelievable, but I went with it and everything worked out.

"I was surprised by the all-league pick. I was surprised I even made the all-star team. Because if you look at it, our team was so good they helped me out, made me look better, made my stats look better."

O'Handley says there is a lot more to DiGirolamo's success than having a good team around him.

"I think his strength is preparation," O'Handley said. "He prepares for a game like no other, and as far as on the ice, his ability to breakdown the game as it is played and kind of know where (the play) is coming from before it gets to him is strong sense."

DiGirolamo's solid rookie year has turned into a scholarship offer from the University of New Hampshire - a 6-hour train ride from his hometown.

He'll be vying to replace former Black Hawks' goalie Kevin Regan, who will graduate as the Wildcats' all-time winningest goalie following this season.

"The sky is the limit," O'Handley said. "UNH is excited to get him. Matt and Kevin are different in that Kevin was quiet and Matt is more outspoken, but the burning desire inside to win is the same.

"I think that is what New Hampshire saw and liked most."

DiGirolamo has another burning desire: "I want to win that Anderson Cup again more than anything. We've got to stop dropping games like we have and start winning."

Talk to O'Handley, talk to his teammates and all will say that is genuine.

"He wants to win, wants to be the best, and I don't think there is anything wrong in that," O'Handley said.

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

By the book

MATT DIGIROLAMO

Height: 5-9

Weight: 160

Hometown: Penllyn, Pa.

Career highlights: DiGirolamo has made 57 appearances in two seasons with the Black Hawks, compiling a 34-16-4 mark with a sub 2.60 goals against average. DiGirolamo is a two-time United States Hockey League all-star participant and was first team all-USHL last year. He went 9-1-0 with Texas of the North American Hockey League in 2005-06.