Is the BU men's goaltender battle still up for debate?

Yesterday at 04:45 PM

Boston University men's hockey head coach Jay Pandolfo isn't known for his verbosity in press conferences. It is rare for the third-year coach to show his hand. 

One can only attempt to read his body language. Maybe he'll pause before answering a question, or his voice will inflect a little higher. But Pandolfo doesn't make his biggest statements to the media — he makes them with his line charts. 

When the Terriers fell to UMass Lowell 5-3 on Nov. 8, Pandolfo was asked about Mathieu Caron. His starting goaltender had allowed five goals in each of the last three games in addition to a game against North Dakota when he allowed four goals in just over 10 minutes of play.

"No, it's on everyone," Pandolfo said in defense of his starter after the game. "It's the goalie on out. We all have to be better as a group."

However, when the line charts came out the following night, Max Lacroix was listed as the starter. The sophomore earned the win with two goals allowed and 17 saves. 

During mid-week availability last week, Pandolfo would not commit to a goaltender for Friday's tilt with No. 7 Maine. In a surprise move, Lacroix was again named starter.

Caron had started the last 48 games for the Scarlet and White. Postgame, Pandolfo billed Lacroix's start against the River Hawks as a "reset game" for the de facto netminder. But Lacroix's start against Maine made a different statement: Caron's spot as the No. 1 is not guaranteed.

The move comes in spite of Caron's 3-0-0 record against Maine last season, where he recorded a collective .930 save percentage. On the other side, Lacroix had only started one regular season game and has seen limited minutes since joining the team midway through last season. 

On a team with a host of problems to work through, another was just added: The goaltender competition was open.

Lacroix makes the most of his second start 

Even at the hostile Alfond Arena, Lacroix put on his best collegiate performance, albeit a small sample size. 

While he let up four goals, his defense offered little support. 

Maine's first goal was shorthanded when, 30 seconds into the power play, BU defenseman Cole Hutson turned the puck over right to the stick of Owen Fowler, who scored off the far post. 

The second goal was scored off a defensive breakdown where Maine's Frank Djurasevic slipped through three Terriers to get an unobstructed shot on the goaltender. Lacroix seemed unprepared for the shot, scrambling to the post as the puck slipped through the five-hole. 

The following two goals were scored on back-to-back 5-on-3s at the end of the second period — the discipline issues left the interim goaltender out to dry.

On the positive side, Lacroix made several impressive saves on grade-A chances. Multiple times, the goaltender was forced to make high-leverage saves, including a sliding stop on Maine's Lynden Breen and an impressive pad save on a Ross Minton breakaway.

"He made some timely saves for us, some breakaway saves. He competes, so I thought he played well," Pandolfo said. "If [Lacroix] plays like that, we're gonna get certainly some better results."

In his return to the net on Saturday, Caron was "excellent"

Despite Lacroix's strong showing on Friday, Pandolfo reverted to Caron on Saturday.

The senior limited Maine to two goals, the fewest he's allowed since the Oct. 18 4-2 win against UConn. 

While Caron played well in his return, he didn't seem to start the game at his most confident. There were a couple of near-turnovers when playing the puck behind the net, one of his usual strengths. 

Another noticeable area of weakness was puck control. There were multiple times throughout the game when the Black Bears had second, third and fourth chances. 

This happened during Maine's first goal on the power play, although it would've been a difficult save. Maine's Josh Nadeau slung a shot from the top of the zone that fell to a net-front scrum and a sprawled Caron. As the dust settled, the puck sat untouched in front of the crease, and Nolan Renwick scooped it into the net.

Maine's second goal was also right in front of Caron's crease. Maine's Sully Scholle earned enough space to send the puck down to Oskar Komarov. Caron overcommitted to Komarov, who found Anthony Calafiore wide-open on the back door. Caron was left helpless by the breakdown and Maine's passing. 

The Terriers struggled to establish zone time in the game's latter half. Caron stood strong, facing 24 shots across the second and third periods. 

He ended the night with 30 saves, including three crucial ones in the three-on-three overtime. 

To cap it off, he made four impressive saves in the shootout to give BU the extra Hockey East point. He looked more confident as the game progressed. If there was any doubt, Caron turned to the student section and shushed them after the win.

"He was excellent, good for him," Pandolfo said. "He had a little bit of a reset, didn't play the last two games. Tonight, playing the way he did, he was excellent."

The battle is still open, but expect Caron to take the edge 

Both goaltenders put on impressive performances in their respective trials. If this is an open goaltending contest, it is hard to give either the edge.

However, it seems improbable the team strays from Caron down the stretch given his history as the starter and his quality play to reach the Frozen Four last season. Lacroix proved himself to be a firm backup who can fill in when Caron falters. He also proved his worth to the program next season, when he may start or work in tandem with incoming goaltender Mikhail Yegorov.

Pandolfo still wouldn't commit to either goaltender post-game on Saturday. His body language hinted towards a Caron start. But, as usual, the next chapter in the ongoing goaltender saga will be released with the line chart on Friday.

"I'm just happy that Caron came in tonight and played well. That was really important for him, really important for the team," Pandolfo said. "That's as far as I'll go right now."