Junior goaltender Evan Cowley – University of Denver’s Mr. Friday Night in the nets – took some time to field some one-timers amidst the Mayhem of finals and road trips.

A Florida Panthers fourth-round draft pick in 2013, Cowley endeared himself to scouts with his work ethic, size (he’s 6-foot-5) and a stellar season in the North American Hockey League after never playing higher than AA level with his hometown club in Arvada.

Mayhem: What is your favorite pregame meal?

Cowley: Pasta, chicken, salad. A lot of water and maybe a roll or some kind of extra carb in there.

Mayhem: Some goalies are legendary for their in-game weight loss. How pounds do you sweat out in a game?

Cowley: Five to 10. I lost 10 pounds against CC. I sweat a lot in general, but that was excessive. I have a water bottle on the net and I usually crush that every period. I have a lot between periods. Then three or four bottles of water afterward, a couple of Gatorades and a protein shake. I don’t know how I don’t feel worse after the games.

Mayhem: Are you particular about any pieces of your gear?

Cowley: Probably all of it. I’m not super particular about it. I love the gear, that’s one of my favorite things about the position. It’s all of it or none of it. All of it’s equally important to me.

Mayhem: When you need a good laugh in the locker room who are you going to turn to?

Cowley: It depends, usually if it’s a joke or something, (Matt) Marcinew, he laughs so much whether he’s telling the joke or someone else is. It’s a big boost of confidence. Gabe Levin has the most contagious laugh. Everyone’s pretty loose and has good personalities. No one is afraid to joke around. (Jarid) Lukosevicius is pretty fun.

Mayhem: What is the breakfast of champions?

Cowley: On school days it’s pretty casual, some oatmeal, maybe some fruit or a power bar. A couple eggs if I have enough time.

Mayhem: I’ve heard you have a not-so-hidden talent, drumming. How did you get into that?

Cowley: About seventh grade I went to a teammate’s house, and he had a drum set in his basement. I’d never seen a drum set before and he gave me a turn on it. I thought it sounded really cool. I loved it. It was fun because you got to hit things. I’d tried some other instruments and I love music. I liked that instant feedback that the drums have. I got into it and my parents were super supportive of that. I took some lessons, and now I’ve got this electronic set in my room that’s pretty quiet with headphones on, so that’s definitely part of the pregame routine when I’m home now. I run through that and get the hands going, get the feet going. I believe it helps my coordination. I try to get on it a few times a week. That’s pretty fun.

Mayhem: What song gets you fired up?

Cowley: It’s a big mix of pop music, some techno music and I’ve gotten into rap a little bit. I don’t think I could pick one. I have a playlist of 15 to 20 songs I play on game day to get me fired up. They’re usually loud and high tempo.

@MagnessMayhem