Bullfrogs’ Goalie Is Standing Up to Extreme Challenges : Roller hockey: Laurie is happy to be going to the league’s first all-star game, Saturday in Vancouver.

All-star players usually accomplish all-star feats, but this one bordered on the ridiculous.

Bullfrog goalie Rob Laurie had never faced a barrage like the one he encountered July 2. In 48 minutes, San Diego unloaded 70 shots on goal, but Laurie made a league-record 64 saves to lead the visiting Bullfrogs to a 9-6 victory.

“It was like a shooting gallery,” said Charlie Simmer, the Bullfrogs’ radio analyst. “When you’re looking at 70 shots, and a lot of them from close range, that’s phenomenal.

“But he was basically lucky. A lot of the shots just hit him; he’s paid to stop all of them and he let six through,” Simmer joked.

What else would you expect from a former King, one who scored more than 300 goals in 14 NHL seasons, but poke fun at a goaltender?

Laurie, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound player from Lansing, Mich., is no ordinary goalie.

In his second season with the Bullfrogs, Laurie has won all 14 games he has started for the team. He is fifth in the league in goals against average (5.00) and third in save percentage (.894), good reasons why he was selected as the Bullfrogs’ lone representative in the inaugural RHI All-Star game Saturday in Vancouver, Canada.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” Laurie said. “But I don’t think it’s right that I’m the only guy from our team going. We have so many good players on this team.”

The Pacific Division-leading Bullfrogs (9-1) have a league-high 18 points and only Pittsburgh (7-0) has a better record. Balance and depth have been keys this season for the Bullfrogs, the defending RHI champions.

Victor Gervais leads the offense with 24 points, barely enough to crack the league’s top 20 in scoring, but seven Bullfrogs have 15 or more points. Goalie Chris Gordon has split the 10 starts in goal with Laurie.

“Robbie has the knack for making the big saves at the right time,” Simmer said. “Chris, too. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen them make a big save, then all of a sudden, the Bullfrogs turn right around and go the other way to score.”

That determination was one reason Buffalo Coach Chris McSorley, who coached the Bullfrogs to the RHI title last season, asked Laurie to play for Anaheim.

“Robbie is a tremendous competitor,” McSorley said. “Last year, we wanted to get the best athletes in goal, not just big goalies or someone who had one specific quality, but a well-balanced competitor.”

And the foundation McSorley brought to Anaheim has helped the Bullfrogs win 26 of 28 games in the franchise’s history.

“It’s nice to know we’ve got two capable backstops,” Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier said. “It makes my job easier.”

Laurie’s job hasn’t gotten any easier. With the expansion from 12 to 24 teams and the league’s growing credibility, Laurie said more skilled players came out for roller hockey this season.

“The quality of play has gone up dramatically,” Laurie said. “Last year, only one of my teammates played roller hockey. This year, four more are playing.”

Philadelphia’s Perry Florio, who will play for the Eastern Conference all-stars, and three of Laurie’s teammates with Johnstown of the East Coast Hockey League made RHI rosters this season.

“Once they found out about how great this league is, everyone wanted to play in it,” Laurie said.

One of the International Hockey League’s best, Patrice Lefebvre, will represent Montreal for the Eastern Conference RHI all-stars. Lefebvre finished with 95 points as the second-leading scorer for Las Vegas of the IHL this season.

“There are more AHL and IHL players playing roller hockey this season,” Laurie said. “And there aren’t just any chumps from the ECHL playing, but all-stars.”

All the more reason for Laurie to work for any edge he can get. In the summer, Laurie shelves his stand-up style of goaltending for a butterfly style.

“Since you can’t move as quickly on in-line skates, butterfly style works best because you just hang back and react,” Laurie said.

For example, Laurie said Toronto Maple Leaf goalie Felix Potvin has an ideal style for roller hockey but Vancouver Canuck goalie Kirk McLean might have more trouble adjusting.

“This league has been good for me because it forces me to try some things that I would never have tried on ice,” Laurie said. “It takes awhile to adjust to the different style, but I figure learning something new is just another tool for my tool box.”

And the more tools he has, Laurie figures his chances increase for reaching his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL.

“Making the RHI all-star team looks good,” Laurie said. “Playing in this league is good, too, because it keeps my name out there. I think if you prove you’re a good player in this league, people should know you’ll be good on the ice, too.”

Said Simmer: “This league can enhance some careers. For the younger guys, it can keep you in shape and maybe help you get a foot in the door.”

And Saturday, Laurie and the RHI’s best will be at the NHL’s door, playing in the Canucks’ home arena, the Pacific Coliseum.

RHI All-Star Facts

What: Roller Hockey International All-Star Game.

Where: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada.

When: 7:35 p.m., Saturday.

TV: ESPN (tape delay), 10 a.m., Monday.

Notes: Several RHI all-stars are former NHL standouts. Bryan Trottier, who played 17 seasons with the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, will play for the Eastern Conference, which is coached by Buffalo’s Chris McSorley and Anaheim’s Grant Sonier, who was McSorley’s assistant with the Bullfrogs last season. The Eastern Conference squad also includes Al Secord, who played 12 seasons in the NHL with Boston, Chicago and Toronto, former King goalie Daniel Berthiaume, and goalie Manon Rheaume, the first woman to play in a professional hockey game. Former NHL stars, Oakland Coach Garry Unger and Vancouver Coach Dave (Tiger) Williams, will coach the Western Conference in the league’s inaugural all-star game. Bullfrog goalie Rob Laurie, Blades forward Brett Kurtz, and San Diego’s Scott Gruhl will play for the Western Conference.