Stockton goalie needs a paint job

By Ron Kantowski

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 | 4:24 p.m.

NOW

Thirsty for some playoff hockey -- or maybe it was just a beer -- I decided to check out the Wranglers' game against the Stockton Thunder on Tuesday night, as a spectator. I was one of four at the Orleans not wearing a hockey jersey.

The first thing I noticed, besides how disinterested the Wranglers looked in the first period and how few of their fans showed up, was that Parker Van Buskirk, the Thunder goalie, was sporting a plain, white, unadorned mask.

Van Buskirk only recently joined Stockton for its playoff run, so I'm willing to cut him a little slack for his lack of creativity.

But in the event he sticks with the team next year -- and having the same name as a public golf course there probably won't hurt his chances -- he will probably want to come up with a new mask design and paint job.

He may want to consider an asparagus leaf, to call attention to the annual Stockton Asparagus Festival; Chris Isaak's guitar or crazy suit with the treble clefs on it (the singer-songwriter was born in Stockton in 1956); or maybe even a "For Sale" sign, considering Stockton led the country in foreclosures in 2007.

But if he gets traded to the Wranglers, he should have Carrot Top's face painted on his mask. Then it would look just like everything else around here.

THEN

I saw a guy at the Wranglers' game who was wearing an RPI hockey jersey.

I think it might have been ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.