ORONO, Maine — Matt Morris and Rob McGovern each turned in stretches of impressive goaltending for the University of Maine’s hockey team a year ago.
McGovern allowed two goals or less in six of his first seven starts.
Morris surrendered two goals or less in three of four starts in November.
But they also had their struggles.
Morris gave up four or more goals in his last three appearances.
McGovern was nicked for nine goals in back-to-back losses to New Hampshire.
However, UMaine head coach Red Gendron feels redshirt senior Morris and sophomore McGovern, along with newcomer Stephen Mundinger, will supply the Black Bears with solid goaltending this season.
Sean Romeo, who would have been a junior but played in only two games a year ago after sharing the goaltending with Morris two years ago, transferred to Ohio State University.
Gendron is comfortable with Morris, McGovern and Mundinger between the pipes.
“I think goaltending is really going to be a strength,” said Gendron. “We have experience. We have a fifth-year senior who has played a lot of games [49], and you have a sophomore who has played a fair number of games [20].
“There are only two ways to have confidence, which is the biggest thing for any athlete, but especially for goalies. You get confidence because you’ve done it before, so you know you can do it again, or you pay the price in preparing yourself for the right to succeed,” he said.
“Both Matt and Rob have had some success. But what we’re looking for is consistency. With Stephen Mundinger, he has to earn the right to feel confident at this level. He’s certainly confident, or he wouldn’t have been invited to join us, right? That’s kind of how I look at it,” said Gendron. “Stephen is untested. He’s a rookie, so we don’t know how he’s going to react to college hockey.”
Morris and McGovern shared the goaltending last season.
Morris was 6-10-3 with a 3.54 goals-against average and a 0.901 save percentage a year ago. He is 15-20-5 for his career with a 3.38 GAA and a 0.901 save percentage.
McGovern was 2-14-3 with a 2.78 GAA and a 0.905 save percentage.
Morris, at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, is significantly smaller than the 6-foot-4, 220-pound McGovern and the 6-8, 236-pound Mundinger, so he will be relying on his quickness.
“All three of them have had different hockey experiences during the summer,” said Gendron. “They have come back fit and ready to go.
“They have done their work in terms of preparation. Now it’s time to perform,” he added.
The job is up for grabs.
Morris said he is “very confident” that the goaltending will be a “strong suit for us.”
“We’ve all looked very good in practice,” said Morris. “Mundinger is a big guy, [and] McGovern looks a lot quicker, and he obviously had a great freshman year. He played 20 games, which is pretty impressive. And I feel pretty good. This is my last year, so I want to have a good one.”
Morris said he is seeking to be more consistent.
“I had some good games last year, but I also had a few tough games in which I would have liked to have done a few things differently. But in the sports world, there’s nothing you can change. I want to stick to the basics, play my angles, get my feet set and work on my skating and all the little things,” said Morris.
Morris spent a week at the New Jersey Devils development camp, while McGovern and Mundinger both worked out near their homes with other college or pro players.
“I was grateful to be there and it was a great experience for me,” said Morris, who is from Ridgewood, New Jersey.
McGovern said he focused on a variety of aspects of his game.
“I did a lot of technical stuff. I did a lot of skating, and I worked on my stance. I skated with [veteran goalie coach] Brian Eklund,” said McGovern, a native of Weymouth, Massachusetts. “Other than that, I also worked out with [strength and conditioning coach] Dan Boothby. So it was a pretty eventful summer, I guess.
“My skating wasn’t up to par, especially at this level,” said McGovern. “My whole life, when I’ve played well, it was because I was competing. So if I compete as hard as I can, especially with the work I’ve put in on my skating, I should be a lot better.”
Mundinger said this is a “dream come true” for him and he has “learned a lot” already from Morris and McGovern.
“They’ve been great. We get along real well. We work each other hard, and that should only help the team,” said Mundinger, who was in Orono taking classes in August and working out with the other freshmen as they developed a camaraderie while also getting adjusted to the campus and the community.
Mundinger, who is from Smithtown, New York, has focused on his skating and said he wants to “work hard every day and keep getting better.”
He spent a lot of time this summer working out in Long Island with former Boston University Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy, who is playing pro hockey in Russia.
The Black Bear goalies will have a new goalie coach in former Black Bear star and NHL goalie Alfie Michaud, who led UMaine to its last NCAA championship in 1999. He replaces Ray Jean, who left to take a position with USA Hockey.
“Alfie is terrific,” said Gendron. “He had great success here and as a professional goalie, and he’s had a lot of success as a goalie coach. He brings an awful lot to the table. I’m happy to have him.”
The goalies have high expectations for the team, which is coming off a dismal 8-24-6 campaign and was ranked 55th among 60 Division 1 teams in offense (two goals per game) and 50th in defense (3.39 goals per game allowed).
“We have a lot of high-end guys who have come in; the younger guys who were here last year have a lot more experience and are really going to contribute, and we have good senior leadership with Blaine [Byron], Cam [Brown] and Eric [Schurhamer],” said Morris.
“The new kids are very skilled, and they work hard. And the kids who are returning also have skill, and I’ve never been around a group of kids who work harder than they do,” said McGovern. “I think we’re going to be a lot better this year. We want to win a lot more games and put on a good show for our fans. That’s pretty important to us.”