(above) UND Coach Dave Hakstol said Jean-Philippe Lamoureux ranks among the best goalies ever to play for the SiouxFrom: Grand Forks Herald
by Brad Schlossman
Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is set to break UND’s single-season school record in save percentage.
Alex Kangas is set to break Minnesota’s single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage.
Richard Bachman is on pace to set Colorado College’s single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage.
St. Cloud State’s Jase Weslosky has a considerably better goals-against average and save percentage than his predecessor, Hobey Baker Award finalist Bobby Goepfert, ever had. Weslosky’s marks are on pace to be a single-season best for his school.
And Denver’s Peter Mannino already has the school’s all-time shutout record — not to mention a win in a national championship game.
Meet the five goaltenders in St. Paul this week for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Final Five and five major reasons why scoring is at an all-time low in the league.
Some have attributed it to the loss of big-time players to the NHL. Some say it’s the advanced defensive systems and video exchange that allows for preparation. But there’s no question that the WCHA’s elite goaltenders have played a role, too.
“I think we came into the year with big questions for a lot of teams about goaltending,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “Certainly, those questions were answered early and often. Some of them were freshmen and some of them were first-time starters. But they took the reins and went with it. Goaltending on every team in our league has been very, very strong.”
Four of the five starters at the Final Five (all but Mannino) rank in the top seven nationally in save percentage. Bachman is first at .935, Lamoureux second at .934, Weslosky fifth at .932 and Kangas seventh at .930.
Lamoureux’s 1.63 goal-against average leads the country. And Mannino and Lamoureux are tied for the national lead with six shutouts.
“During my four years here, we’ve certainly had some great goalies,” Lamoureux said. “One that really comes to mind is (Wisconsin’s) Brian Elliott. But this year, from top to bottom, we’ve had so many guys who had outstanding seasons — from one down to 10. Every team has guys who can steal a game for you. I really believe, with all sincerity, that this is the deepest I’ve seen it since I’ve been here.”
The new guys
Bachman, Kangas and Weslosky were unknowns entering the season. Bachman and Kangas are both rookies, while Weslosky only played in six games as a freshman last season.
All three are major reasons why their teams are at the Final Five and in position to make the NCAA tournament.
Weslosky was expected to be the guy for St. Cloud State from the start of the year. But it wasn’t until the final month when he came on strong and established himself. In the first-round series against Wisconsin, Weslosky posted a shutout Friday and a 46-save overtime win Saturday.
“We’ve watched a young goaltender really come into his own for us,” St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said. “When Jase got onto campus (last season), he was four days from being 17. He’s still the youngest player on our team. Once we got to the second half of the season, he really settled in for us. We’ve been very comfortable in his play.”
Bachman and Kangas had to surpass junior goaltenders to earn their spot as the No. 1 guy.
Bachman did it early in the season. After posting a 4-1 win on the road against UND on Nov. 3, he led the Tigers on a six-game winning streak to solidify his spot. He’s been named the national rookie of the month twice this season and his .937 save percentage in league games was best in the WCHA.
“I think he’s playing like a veteran,” Colorado College coach Scott Owens said. “He’s been extremely poised all season long. Early in the season, I was a little surprised with how calm and how effective he was in games. So we kept playing him. I’m a little surprised he’s been able to maintain that consistency all year long as a freshman. He’s a 20-year-old freshman but still a freshman.
“He’s one of the main reasons for our success. He’s mature, he’s humble and he’s calm.”
In Minnesota, junior Jeff Frazee was expected to be the top guy. But after struggling for the first half of the season, Lucia gave Kangas more chances.
The Rochester, Minn., native delivered in a big way.
Frazee’s save percentage was a shaky .890, which led to a winning percentage of .462. Kangas’ .930 save percentage is the top reason the Gophers are winning at a .537 rate with the rookie between the pipes.
“Alex has done a great job,” Lucia said. “In his first start (in October) against Ohio State, he was spectacular. He’s grown with the position. I think he’s been much more patient and stayed on his feet better. Like all great goaltenders, he’s calm and he doesn’t get rattled. He’s given our team a chance.”
The veterans
Lamoureux and Mannino are both accomplished seniors.
Lamoureux, who became the No. 1 guy last season, is having a career year.
Despite going against the most difficult schedule in the country (according to the PairWise RPI), the Grand Forks native has used this season to vault himself into second place all-time in the WCHA in career goals-against average (2.12). He trails only Wisconsin’s Elliott (1.78), who played from 2003-07.
Lamoureux also won the league’s goaltending title with a 1.74 goals-against average in league games, edging Bachman’s 1.75. He’s UND’s first goaltending champion since Karl Goehring in 1999-00.
Coach Dave Hakstol said Lamoureux ranks among the best goalies ever to play at UND.
“I think you have to judge performance and if you judge performance, he’s been as good as anybody,” Hakstol said. “Phil is technically very good. Regardless of how a goaltender stops a puck — what his style is — it’s real hard to argue with the numbers when it comes to Phil and what he’s done.”
Mannino, meanwhile, is in his first season as the everyday starter. He spent his first three seasons evenly splitting time with Glenn Fisher.
But this year, Mannino’s played in 37 of Denver’s 38 games, posting a .916 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. Those numbers aren’t as strong as ones he’s posted in the past, but he’s still capable of taking over games.
Look no further than Saturday night’s 1-0 shutout victory over Minnesota-Duluth to earn a spot in the Final Five.
So what does that mean we’ll see this weekend? Hakstol’s not making any predictions.
“All of the teams have outstanding goaltending,” Hakstol said. “All of them take a lot of pride in defensive play. Offense has been hard to come by. We are averaging about three goals per game and we’re in the upper portion of the league.
“But playoff hockey is hard to predict. Once you start predicting a defensive struggle, you’ll probably end up with a 6-5 shootout.”
Although that’s doubtful with these final five.
Alex Kangas is set to break Minnesota’s single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage.
Richard Bachman is on pace to set Colorado College’s single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage.
St. Cloud State’s Jase Weslosky has a considerably better goals-against average and save percentage than his predecessor, Hobey Baker Award finalist Bobby Goepfert, ever had. Weslosky’s marks are on pace to be a single-season best for his school.
And Denver’s Peter Mannino already has the school’s all-time shutout record — not to mention a win in a national championship game.
Meet the five goaltenders in St. Paul this week for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Final Five and five major reasons why scoring is at an all-time low in the league.
Some have attributed it to the loss of big-time players to the NHL. Some say it’s the advanced defensive systems and video exchange that allows for preparation. But there’s no question that the WCHA’s elite goaltenders have played a role, too.
“I think we came into the year with big questions for a lot of teams about goaltending,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “Certainly, those questions were answered early and often. Some of them were freshmen and some of them were first-time starters. But they took the reins and went with it. Goaltending on every team in our league has been very, very strong.”
Four of the five starters at the Final Five (all but Mannino) rank in the top seven nationally in save percentage. Bachman is first at .935, Lamoureux second at .934, Weslosky fifth at .932 and Kangas seventh at .930.
Lamoureux’s 1.63 goal-against average leads the country. And Mannino and Lamoureux are tied for the national lead with six shutouts.
“During my four years here, we’ve certainly had some great goalies,” Lamoureux said. “One that really comes to mind is (Wisconsin’s) Brian Elliott. But this year, from top to bottom, we’ve had so many guys who had outstanding seasons — from one down to 10. Every team has guys who can steal a game for you. I really believe, with all sincerity, that this is the deepest I’ve seen it since I’ve been here.”
The new guys
Bachman, Kangas and Weslosky were unknowns entering the season. Bachman and Kangas are both rookies, while Weslosky only played in six games as a freshman last season.
All three are major reasons why their teams are at the Final Five and in position to make the NCAA tournament.
Weslosky was expected to be the guy for St. Cloud State from the start of the year. But it wasn’t until the final month when he came on strong and established himself. In the first-round series against Wisconsin, Weslosky posted a shutout Friday and a 46-save overtime win Saturday.
“We’ve watched a young goaltender really come into his own for us,” St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said. “When Jase got onto campus (last season), he was four days from being 17. He’s still the youngest player on our team. Once we got to the second half of the season, he really settled in for us. We’ve been very comfortable in his play.”
Bachman and Kangas had to surpass junior goaltenders to earn their spot as the No. 1 guy.
Bachman did it early in the season. After posting a 4-1 win on the road against UND on Nov. 3, he led the Tigers on a six-game winning streak to solidify his spot. He’s been named the national rookie of the month twice this season and his .937 save percentage in league games was best in the WCHA.
“I think he’s playing like a veteran,” Colorado College coach Scott Owens said. “He’s been extremely poised all season long. Early in the season, I was a little surprised with how calm and how effective he was in games. So we kept playing him. I’m a little surprised he’s been able to maintain that consistency all year long as a freshman. He’s a 20-year-old freshman but still a freshman.
“He’s one of the main reasons for our success. He’s mature, he’s humble and he’s calm.”
In Minnesota, junior Jeff Frazee was expected to be the top guy. But after struggling for the first half of the season, Lucia gave Kangas more chances.
The Rochester, Minn., native delivered in a big way.
Frazee’s save percentage was a shaky .890, which led to a winning percentage of .462. Kangas’ .930 save percentage is the top reason the Gophers are winning at a .537 rate with the rookie between the pipes.
“Alex has done a great job,” Lucia said. “In his first start (in October) against Ohio State, he was spectacular. He’s grown with the position. I think he’s been much more patient and stayed on his feet better. Like all great goaltenders, he’s calm and he doesn’t get rattled. He’s given our team a chance.”
The veterans
Lamoureux and Mannino are both accomplished seniors.
Lamoureux, who became the No. 1 guy last season, is having a career year.
Despite going against the most difficult schedule in the country (according to the PairWise RPI), the Grand Forks native has used this season to vault himself into second place all-time in the WCHA in career goals-against average (2.12). He trails only Wisconsin’s Elliott (1.78), who played from 2003-07.
Lamoureux also won the league’s goaltending title with a 1.74 goals-against average in league games, edging Bachman’s 1.75. He’s UND’s first goaltending champion since Karl Goehring in 1999-00.
Coach Dave Hakstol said Lamoureux ranks among the best goalies ever to play at UND.
“I think you have to judge performance and if you judge performance, he’s been as good as anybody,” Hakstol said. “Phil is technically very good. Regardless of how a goaltender stops a puck — what his style is — it’s real hard to argue with the numbers when it comes to Phil and what he’s done.”
Mannino, meanwhile, is in his first season as the everyday starter. He spent his first three seasons evenly splitting time with Glenn Fisher.
But this year, Mannino’s played in 37 of Denver’s 38 games, posting a .916 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. Those numbers aren’t as strong as ones he’s posted in the past, but he’s still capable of taking over games.
Look no further than Saturday night’s 1-0 shutout victory over Minnesota-Duluth to earn a spot in the Final Five.
So what does that mean we’ll see this weekend? Hakstol’s not making any predictions.
“All of the teams have outstanding goaltending,” Hakstol said. “All of them take a lot of pride in defensive play. Offense has been hard to come by. We are averaging about three goals per game and we’re in the upper portion of the league.
“But playoff hockey is hard to predict. Once you start predicting a defensive struggle, you’ll probably end up with a 6-5 shootout.”
Although that’s doubtful with these final five.
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