Inside College Hockey | Rookie Netminders Help Miami to Early CCHA Lead

November 7, 2008

Rookie Netminders Help Miami to Early CCHA Lead

By James V. Dowd

Connor Knapp (left) and Cody Reichard have excelled as newcomers in net for Miami.

Heading into the season, goaltending was a question mark for Miami. They lost Jeff Zatkoff and his outstanding play at the end of last year and were faced with the prospect of two freshmen joining the team and jumping straight into action, unsure when, or even if Connor Knapp or Cody Reichard could learn the ropes quickly and emerge as a premier starter.

Despite the questions, the freshmen have been a blessing for the RedHawks, infusing the team with new energy and outstanding play en route to a 4-1-1 start in the CCHA and sole possession of first place in the league.

“Our coaches expect us to do one thing, and that’s win games,” Knapp said. “It’s not our job to have the best save percentage or be a Hobey Baker candidate, they want us to be out there winning games and keeping the team up in the standings, so as long as we both win games, I don’t see why we can’t both play.”

Perhaps Coach Enrico Blasi and his staff aren’t concerned with save percentages, as Knapp suggested, but both he and Reichard have put up fairly impressive numbers, with .916 and .918 save percentages and 1.97 and 2.23 goals-against averages, respectively.

Despite such similar numbers, Knapp has been slightly luckier with the results on the scoreboard, as he plays on Saturday nights, when Miami has been much more effective offensively. The RedHawks have gone 3-0-1 with Knapp in goal and have amassed a 1-2-1 record on Fridays.

“If on Friday we get a rough start, we start off a little cold with Cody out there,” Knapp said. “We might have a bad night one night, but this team is not going to have a bad night two times in a row. Cody’s been playing really well and that record doesn’t reflect his play.”

Reichard is pleased with his play so far, in spite of the tough breaks on the offensive end on Friday nights. He is constantly working on developing his game, and is thankful that he has elite scorers and defenders on his team to help him improve each day.

“I just kind of take it one day at a time,” Reichard said. “Obviously it’s a big help that here at Miami, we have a lot of good players, so I get to see some of the best players in college hockey every day in practice.”

Playing with such elite players has helped Reichard develop a better understanding of what top offensive minds think like and how he needs to react against different players.

“I think that I really need to work on just reading the play and knowing in situations what certain guys are thinking about doing and capable of doing,” Reichard said. “And I really need to just get better all around, with my skating and my lateral movement.”

Knapp is also hoping to continually improve his play, and has been focused on killing off an old habit that came with his massive 6-foot-5, 215 pound frame.

“One of the big things that I’m working on this year is coming out of the net,” Knapp said. “I tend to play a little deep in the net because I’ve always been so big so I didn’t have to play out so far. But at this level, the shooters are so much better that I need to bring my game to that level.”

Only time will tell, beginning this weekend with two games against Ferris State, whether one of the two rookies can emerge as a full-time starter. Both netminders would love to play every night, but Knapp is happy that he can rely on his counterpart when it’s his night off.

“We’ve developed a good relationship, and a healthy relationship,” Knapp said. “We know what our jobs are and we both want to play every game, because that’s the way goalies are. But we’re really good friends and we help each other out, and if we see the other guy working hard at the other end, it’s motivation to step up our own play.”