While Luke himself would probably never admit it, he is a truly good player, and an even better guy. On the ice he is dedicated, positions well and gives his all during games. Off the ice he’s a genuine bloke who always takes time to stop and talk to fans and opposition players alike. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team.
Luke, a local of the Gold Coast who spent time in Canberra in seasons past came back up this way 2 seasons back, grabbing a spot on the Blue Tongues in the process. His style of play has always been really great to watch and in the 2009 season he manned the pipes well, taking the team right up to their first ever spot in the playoffs. To fans dismay however, after doing well all season Luke was benched at the playoffs, replaced by veteran goalie Milan Novysedlak. Luke, always the team guy did not complain and took what many fans to see as an insult with a smile. I remember at the finals asking him how he felt and his response was one of dedication to the team, not once saying a bad word.
The 2010 season rolled around and Luke was slated as the starting goalie once again, with CJ Anderson coming back to share the job from time to time. Luke played well and worked on his game. The team defense struggled at times, leaving Luke to take the responsibility and Luke was up the challenge. His team-first views came over once again when he willingly shouldered blame for losing games where as fans, we saw defensive holes the size of Alaska on the ice. After the unfortunate departure of Voldy Dashko, the team opted to sign import goalie Reese Kalleitner, and just like in 2009, the coach opted to bench Luke. For the remainder of the season Reese played every game, except the final 2. By those 2 games the Tongues were out of playoff contention and only then did the team look back to Luke, who was unavailable.
Nobody knows what the 2011 Blue Tongues will be like. As fans we do know who we would like to see return to the squad, and Luke Fiveash is in that list. Whether he plays an entire season or yet again is turned aside by the team is yet to be seen. We do hope he can stick the spot, because at the end of the day, you need positive players like Luke on your team.
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