Every position in hockey is difficult, whether you're playing on defence, or leading the charge as a forward. Hockey is challenging at every level.

Scoring goals and making the fancy dangle is always something that the fans want to see, and it's always something that gets everyone excited. But what about the big save?

Talk about pressure. Being a goaltender in hockey is one of, if not the most pressure filled situations in all of sport. When you stand between the pipes it's you that will make or break your team's chances for winning or losing each game.

For StFX's rookie goaltender Bryan Gillis, he's had to learn this quickly in his first seaon with the blue and white.

After playing every second game and switching back and forth with platoon X-Men goaltender Joseph Perricone, Gillis found himself with the starting nod every night once Perricone went down with a season ending injury.

Coming off a stint with the Salmon Arms Silverbacks in junior hockey, Gillis took the team on his shoulders -- and so far, so good.

The X-Men have been hot as of late, defeating UPEI in the opening round of the playoffs and knocking off UNB late in the season, in which they were the only team to do so.

With UNB slated to take on the X-Men in the next round of the playoffs, Gillis will surely be looked at to hold it down between the pipes once again and help the X-Men secure a birth in the AUS Finals.

But before you can judge his play, you should get to know the man behind the mask first.

Mat MacDonald: Where did you get your start with hockey? What made you want to play/who?

Bryan Gillis: My dad was a hockey fan and when I was younger, I would play mini sticks with him and I think thats how it grew on me, I was around it from the day I was born probably. I started playing when I was five in East Hants as a player.

MM: Who do you look up to?

BG: I look up to my parents a lot. They've allowed me so many opportunities in life I've been very fortunate to experience. They've always been supportive and they have been the biggest influences on me in life and they always seem to know what's right for me.

MM: What's going to be the biggest test going late into the playoffs?

BG: The biggest test going late into the playoffs will be being mentally strong and controlling our team's emotions. A bounce one way or the other can decide a game sometimes so it's important that we maintain our emotions throughout each series and focus on playing a complete 60 minute game and minimize our mistakes as a team.

MM: How has your time at X been?

BG: X has been a blast so far this year. Its been busy with both school and hockey but it's been a great experience so far. Antigonish is a great hockey town to live in and the community has been very supportive with the X-Men hockey program.

MM: What are things that people wouldn't know about you?

BG: I have two brothers, Darcy (19) who plays Jr. B hockey in Brookfield and Shayne (14) who plays Bantam AAA in East Hants and a sister, Kelsy (16) . In my spare time I really like playing both electric and acoustic guitar.

MM: What's the team been like this year?

BG: The team this year has dealt with a lot of adversity and has proven we are capable of stepping up at crucial times. We've had to battle through a couple costly injuries this season but overall I think we are satisfied with the teams progression throughout the year. They are a great group of guys to be playing with and be around on and off the ice.

MM: Why did you decided to be a goaltender?

BG: I decided to be a goalie at eight years old full time. I really liked playing out before deciding to play goalie but I stuck to goalie through minor rep hockey and just enjoyed being a goalie.

MM: Do you feel that playing in nets gives you added pressure to succeed?

BG: I think there is definitely a lot of pressure as a goaltender, as a goalie your the last line of defence on your team and if you mess up for the most part there is no one there to make up for your mistakes other then the posts.

With that being said, Gillis will once again be looked at by all of the X faithful to help bring success to another varsity team. When you have someone that's humble and just wants to do whatever it takes to win, there's a pretty good chance that success will follow.

Make sure you check out the X-Men as they take on the UNB Varsity Reds Tuesday, March 2nd at 7:00 PM -- it's a game you won't want to miss!

Story courtesy Mat MacDonald, StFX Sports Information contributor