The Union Leader
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports Writer

THE “MINNESOTA ROUSER“ Adam Hauser has arrived.

Just having stepped off the Reading Railroad, Hauser’s victory in goal Sunday for the Monarchs was his first in only his second American Hockey League start. It was a superb victory. A 27-save shutout over the gritty and highly touted Providence Bruins.

Hauser, 23, a second-year pro, was the record-setting starting goalie for four seasons at the University of Minnesota (the “Rouser” is the school’s fight song). This season he had played every minute of every game for the L.A. Kings East Coast Hockey League-affiliate Reading Royals, producing a 3-0-1 record with a sparkling 1.71 goals against average.

When both Monarchs goalies Milan Hnilicka and Mathieu Chouinard were injured in games last Friday and Saturday, the emergency call to Hauser went out Saturday evening.

“I was in Toledo Friday and Saturday night,” said Hauser. “Saturday night the team packed up and bused out. I flew out from Toledo at 7 a.m. Sunday to Detroit and got to Manchester at 10:45 in the morning. I hopped on the bus at 11:30 and at 4 that afternoon I was playing in Providence.”

Hauser doesn’t see himself as a savior.

“The other night in Providence, a couple people came up to me after the game and said I played great. I didn’t have to make that many second saves and the defensemen didn’t let Providence get many quality chances,” he said.

But if Hauser was that proficient playing his third game in as many days with so little preparation, then he could play himself into the number three goalie position in the Kings organization, while Hnilicka and Chouinard watch in frustration. Hauser has the credentials but he remains blatantly realistic.

“Their injuries are the reason why I’m here,” he said. “As long as I’m here I’m going to play the best I can. It’s pro hockey, injuries are going to happen. You never want to come into a situation like this and slack. Basically every day it’s an interview.”

Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round (81st overall) the summer before his sophomore year in college, 1999, the Oilers eventually let Hauser go since they had signed University of New Hampshire all-time record holder goalie Ty Conklin a year earlier as a free agent. Conklin was starring with the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs and now is the Oilers back-up to Tommy Salo. So Hauser went to Boston Bruins training camp last season, but the Bruins had a full complement of goalies. Hauser flew home. He drove to Jackson, Miss., from northern Bovey, Minn., to begin minor league hockey’s winding journey.

“It’s just a lot different,” he said of the uncertainty of life in the minors. “For four years I knew I was playing at Minnesota. In these types of situations it’s a day-to-day thing. It gives you a taste of what pro hockey is all about. “

Hauser has already put on plenty of miles. He played the bulk of last season for the Jackson Bandits of the ECHL, a Florida Panthers affiliate. His coach there, Derek Clancey, is now his coach in Reading, Pa. Hauser was called up for a week by the Binghamton Senators of the AHL and late last season joined the Providence Bruins for three weeks, playing one game — coincidentally — against the Monarchs. His only other AHL appearance in goal came last season on April 5, 2003, in the Verizon Wireless Arena when he helped the Baby B’s forge a 3-3 tie with the Monarchs.

Hauser’s senior year NCAA postseason weaves a tangled web of Monarchs-New Hampshire connections. He won the national title by beating Maine, which had Monarchs defenseman Francis Nault in the lineup. In the semis, Minnesota had beaten arch-rival Michigan, which was led by scorer Mike Cammalleri, now up with the L.A. Kings. Maine knocked out New Hampshire in the semis after New Hampshire had beaten Cornell to reach the Frozen Four. Cornell featured the Monarchs other goaltender Matt Underhill. Underhill was 3-3-1 with the Providence Bruins last season.

Hauser was considered the best goalie out of Minnesota since Robb Stauber. In the 1989 NCAA final Stauber’s Golden Gophers fell in overtime to the Ted Donato-led Harvard Crimson. Stauber continued on to serve as the backup goalie for the L.A. Kings behind Kelly Hrudey. Stauber is a Minnesota assistant coach, hence Hauser’s Kings connection.

“I don’t know how I got here, but I’m not complaining,” joked Hauser. “I’m here for as long as they need me. If I can make some impression, hey, that’s great.

“In the middle of the summer there weren’t a lot of goalies in the (Kings) system. They signed Hnilicka. It bumped me down . . . It’s not like it was the end of the world, it’s just my next stop in this year’s journey. Hopefully my career will be longer than this year,” he said.