New
Canisius Coach Dave Smith says the No. 1 goalie job is
Max Buetow's to lose.
Key
Statistics: They’re not pretty. Buetow was
0-4-0 in six games last year as Bryan Worosz’s backup,
posting a 4.63 goals-against average and .874 save percentage.
As a freshman, he went 2-3-1 in nine games, with a 3.85 GAA
and .856 percentage. Off the ice, another statistic jumps
out about Buetow-— his height (6-feet-6).
What
he does: Built like a small forward on Mike MacDonald’s
basketball team, Buetow obviously takes up a lot of the net,
and his height makes him tough to screen. Where he struggles
is with quickness. It takes him awhile to move all 78 inches
of his body from one post to the other or to recover and get
into position for a rebound. The new Canisius coaching staff
is hoping to develop a style in which Buetow can maximize
his impressive size by being in the proper position as much
as possible.
The
bigger picture: Canisius head coach Dave Smith, who
unsuccessfully recruited Buetow while serving as an assistant
at Mercyhurst, said the No. 1 goalie job is Buetow’s
to lose. The Griffins are bringing in two freshmen netminders,
Dan Giffin and Ryan Hatch, but they will battle for the backup
role. Despite having only 15 games of experience in two years,
Smith said he’s not worried about Buetow’s ability
to handle being the regular goalie. Apparently, Buetow was
in a similar situation as a backup with the Springfield Spirit,
and he performed admirably when he became the main guy. Smith
acknowledged that the Griffins probably will have to “help
out” Buetow more than they did Worosz, who earned all-league
honors last season. Clearing rebounds out of the way, as always,
will be a priority.
Canisius
coach Dave Smith on Buetow: “He continues to
be a mature, diligent leader for us, and I think he’s
physically and mentally ready for this challenge. We want
him to be as efficient as possible. He has some big shoes
to fill, but I think we can do it together, as a team.”
