ORONO, Maine — Quality goaltending is the key component to long playoff runs and championships in hockey.
It is a must even for high-scoring, offensive-minded teams.
During the 1998-99 college hockey season, Alfie Michaud backstopped the University of Maine to its second NCAA championship as he allowed just seven goals in four NCAA Tournament wins, including a 46-save gem in the 3-2 overtime NCAA title game victory over New Hampshire.
A goaltending move by the late Shawn Walsh proved decisive in Maine’s first NCAA championship as Garth Snow replaced Mike Dunham at the outset of the third period during the 1992-93 title game against Lake Superior State.
Snow’s ability to handle and pass the puck nullified the Lakers’ effective forecheck game and enabled the Black Bears to erase a 4-2 deficit and post a 5-4 win.
Maine will need to receive exceptional goaltending from Matt Morris and/or Sean Romeo this weekend if the team is going to upset Vermont in its best-of-three Hockey East first-round series in Burlington, Vermont.
The seventh-seeded Catamounts are 18-12-4 overall, 10-9-3 in Hockey East. Maine, the 10th seed, is 13-20-3 and 8-12-2.
Neither goalie has ever appeared in a college playoff game.
Morris appeared in six regular season games two years ago and sat out last season because of hip surgery. Romeo is a freshman.
They have been inconsistent.
They have both given up too many goals on initial shots and both have had issues with rebound control.
Their teammates haven’t helped them at times by making glaring coverage blunders in the defensive zone or turning the puck over, which has led to odd-man rushes.
Morris and Romeo have shown glimpses of being a capable Division I goaltender, but neither is ranked in the top 60 in the country in goals-against average or save percentage.
Morris is 61st in save percentage (.905) and 62nd in GAA (2.98), while Romeo is 65th in both with his .902 save percentage and 3.14 GAA.
But Romeo had a four-game stretch in which he allowed only seven goals and made 106 saves. There were a total of six games in that span as Morris started the other two.
And Morris had a five-game run over a span of eight games in which he surrendered just five goals and made 158 saves.
But Morris, Romeo and the Black Bears have given up 34 goals over their last eight games, and if that continues, it will result in an early exit.
Had they been able to turn in the numbers produced by senior Martin Ouellette a year ago (15-15-4, 2.29 GAA, .925 save percentage), this team would probably have at least four more wins.
But Ouellette came into last season with 48 games under his belt. That is significant. There is no substitute for experience.
Maine head coach Red Gendron says he is happy with his team’s goaltending and noted that they have played some “great games” but apparently not enough to earn them job security as he and assistants Ben Guite and Jay Leach are actively recruiting a goaltender who can step right in and win the starting job next season.
That tells you that Morris and Romeo haven’t been able to make enough consistent progress to relieve the coaches’ goaltending concerns.
That’s not to say they can’t improve during the offseason to compete for the starting job next season. Gendron is all about results, and he will always play the goalie he feels will give the team the best chance to win.
Both goalies said after Sunday’s practice that they are confident and that they will be ready.
They aren’t dwelling on the past. Each allowed five goals over the weekend as Providence thumped the Black Bears 5-2 twice.
Morris made 37 saves on Friday night, and Romeo had 39 on Saturday.
“I feel good,” said Romeo. “If I get in, I’ll definitely be ready to help the team out any way I can.”
“What happened in the past is in the past,” said Morris. “I’m just focused on this weekend. It’s a big series, and we all need to bring our A games.
“I’m going to make sure I’m seeing the puck well and that my angles are on, all the simple things. I’ll be focusing on fundamentals. It always comes down to fundamentals.”
Romeo said if he gets the nod, “I’ll definitely be ready to help the team out any way I can.
“I’m going to focus on my skating and watching the puck all the way. Sometimes, I get away from that. I’ve got to make sure I’m fundamentally sharp,” he said.
They respect Vermont and know it will be a challenge. The Catamounts beat Maine four times this season, outscoring the Black Bears 18-8, and have won the last seven meetings.
“They’re a very fast-paced team. They have a lot of skill up front, they’re solid defensively, and they have two great goalies [Mike Santaguida and Brody Hoffman],” said Morris. “They’ll throw the puck at you from a lot of different angles. You’ve got to be ready.”
The Catamounts have been in a scoring slump of late, managing just five goals in their last four games. The team has scored two goals or less 13 times over its last 19 games.
The beauty of the playoffs is that every team starts 0-0.
Morris and Romeo are each capable of leading the Black Bears to a deep playoff run if they are at the top of their games.
Playoff heroes can come from anywhere and can defy regular season performances.
But they will have to also have to get help from their teammates, who will have to be thorough in all three zones defensively and produce some goals.