<p>Joseph Woll and Jake Oettinger are the starting goaltenders for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars, respectively, in Tuesday&#8217;s matchup, and their longtime friendship is an endearing quality at this stage of their careers.</p>
<p>This will be only the second time the goalies will face each other in an NHL game, with their first encounter coming on December 18, which the Leafs won 5-3. Woll and Oettinger went from teammates on the US National Under-18 Team to collegiate rivals, as Woll attended Boston College, while Oettinger starred at Boston University.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a feisty rivalry between Boston College and Boston University, arguably the best matchup in NCAA hockey, but Oettinger told reporters after the morning skate that the two met up for dinner on the eve of their NHL rematch.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s just a perfect human,&#8221; Oettinger said of Woll. &#8220;I really looked up at him a lot when I was at the program. Hockey wasn&#8217;t as serious for me as it was for him. And just the way he takes care of the body. You know, all the little stuff that he does. There&#8217;s a lot of stuff that I&#8217;m in the locker room. So, I still continue to learn from him.&#8221;</p>
<p>Woll shares the same feeling about his opposing netminder for tonight&#8217;s game, referring to Oettinger as &#8216;an awesome person.&#8217;</p>
<p>“Yeah, it&#8217;s a cool moment. I spent a lot of time on the same team, a lot of time on the other team, and played with him at every level now, so I look forward to hopefully playing him a lot more down the road,” <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-was-our-best-player-tonight-joseph-woll-lifts-maple-leafs-past-stars-outshines-former-teammate-jake-oettinger-in-first-matchup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woll said after aDecember 18th victory</a>. &#8220;I was lucky to share the net with him for a few years, and every time I get to play him, it&#8217;s fun. He&#8217;s obviously a heck of a goalie and a very special player and a special guy.”</p>
<p>With how much time Woll and Oettinger have spent together over the years, it makes sense why they view each other in high regard. It would have been understandable if things were strained, playing for bitter rivals in college but it did not dampen their friendship.</p>
<p>Oettinger is having another strong season with the Stars with a record of 21-9-1 along with a .910 save percentage, a 2.35 GAA, and a shutout. Woll is set to surpass his games played total from last year and is doing well in his own right with a 14-7-0 record, a .912 save percentage, a 2.58 GAA, and a shutout.</p>
<p>Oettinger has been impressed with the growth Woll has shown so far this season, especially in the wake of Anthony Stolarz getting injured.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think just his patience, he&#8217;s so athletic, but like he&#8217;s not, you know, a foot outside the crease. He stays back and reads the play really well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think nowadays how skilled the league is. And guys it feels like are turning down great looks to, you know, make an extra pass. So you have to be back a little bit just to read the play. And when I started trying to do that more, I watched a lot of him because he does that really well.&#8221;</p>
<p>Woll will certainly carrying some extra motivation, not just because he gets to face his former teammate, but also because he wants to make amends for his rough showing against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.</p>
<p>&#8220;I do like that. I like anybody that takes ownership of themselves and the team. That&#8217;s important,&#8221; Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Woll taking accountability for Thursday&#8217;s 6-3 loss. &#8220;He wants to be better, just like the whole team wanted to be better that night. We didn&#8217;t play a good enough hockey game to be successful.&#8221;</p>
<div>
<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
</div>
<p><a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?resize=727%2C404&#038;ssl=1" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?w=727&amp;ssl=1 727w, https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a></p>
<div>
<p>Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!</p>
</div>


Joseph Woll and Jake Oettinger are the starting goaltenders for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars, respectively, in Tuesday's matchup, and their longtime friendship is an endearing quality at this stage of their careers.

This will be only the second time the goalies will face each other in an NHL game, with their first encounter coming on December 18, which the Leafs won 5-3. Woll and Oettinger went from teammates on the US National Under-18 Team to collegiate rivals, as Woll attended Boston College, while Oettinger starred at Boston University.

There's a feisty rivalry between Boston College and Boston University, arguably the best matchup in NCAA hockey, but Oettinger told reporters after the morning skate that the two met up for dinner on the eve of their NHL rematch.

"He's just a perfect human," Oettinger said of Woll. "I really looked up at him a lot when I was at the program. Hockey wasn't as serious for me as it was for him. And just the way he takes care of the body. You know, all the little stuff that he does. There's a lot of stuff that I'm in the locker room. So, I still continue to learn from him."

Woll shares the same feeling about his opposing netminder for tonight's game, referring to Oettinger as 'an awesome person.'

“Yeah, it's a cool moment. I spent a lot of time on the same team, a lot of time on the other team, and played with him at every level now, so I look forward to hopefully playing him a lot more down the road,” <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-was-our-best-player-tonight-joseph-woll-lifts-maple-leafs-past-stars-outshines-former-teammate-jake-oettinger-in-first-matchup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woll said after aDecember 18th victory</a>. "I was lucky to share the net with him for a few years, and every time I get to play him, it's fun. He's obviously a heck of a goalie and a very special player and a special guy.”

With how much time Woll and Oettinger have spent together over the years, it makes sense why they view each other in high regard. It would have been understandable if things were strained, playing for bitter rivals in college but it did not dampen their friendship.

Oettinger is having another strong season with the Stars with a record of 21-9-1 along with a .910 save percentage, a 2.35 GAA, and a shutout. Woll is set to surpass his games played total from last year and is doing well in his own right with a 14-7-0 record, a .912 save percentage, a 2.58 GAA, and a shutout.

Oettinger has been impressed with the growth Woll has shown so far this season, especially in the wake of Anthony Stolarz getting injured.

"I think just his patience, he's so athletic, but like he's not, you know, a foot outside the crease. He stays back and reads the play really well," he said. "I think nowadays how skilled the league is. And guys it feels like are turning down great looks to, you know, make an extra pass. So you have to be back a little bit just to read the play. And when I started trying to do that more, I watched a lot of him because he does that really well."

Woll will certainly carrying some extra motivation, not just because he gets to face his former teammate, but also because he wants to make amends for his rough showing against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

"I do like that. I like anybody that takes ownership of themselves and the team. That's important," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Woll taking accountability for Thursday's 6-3 loss. "He wants to be better, just like the whole team wanted to be better that night. We didn't play a good enough hockey game to be successful."
<div>
<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
</div>
<a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>
<div>

Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!

</div>

Stars’ Jake Oettinger looking forward to squaring off against his friend Joseph Woll

Recent articles from Michael Mazzei

Breaking News