The importance of the goaltender is invaluable for a winning hockey team.
Although they combined for only one win in 11 games, the case remains for both Bowling Green Hockey and their opponent this weekend.
Mercyhurst comes to town this weekend winless with three losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame, as well as ties and shootout wins to Niagara and Robert Morris.
In those five games, they have been outscored 18-12, and most recently, shutout 5-0 to Notre Dame.
Needless to say, their goalie work has not been where head coach Rick Gotkin wants it. They have started two goalies, Owen Say (0-2-2) and Simon Bucheler (0-1-0), together totaling 18 goals, 197 saves, and an average of 3.46 goals allowed per game.
The go-to starter, Say, has allowed 14 goals on 165 saves and 3.3 goals per game with the two interconference ties, and the losses to Notre Dame this past weekend.
Meanwhile the Falcon goaltenders have played slightly better, but equally to each other.
In the first three games, interim coach Curtis Carr started Christian Stoever (1-2) who made his bid for a starter with five goals allowed in 89 saves and a shutout. His .947 save percentage is .056 points higher than the most recent goalie, Cole Moore (0-3) who recorded 12 goals allowed in 98 saves and a .891 save percentage.
Looking at these facts, one might ponder, why are they “equal” when so statistically dissimilar?
Simply put, Moore faced better competition which isn’t evident statistically. Moore took the crease twice against the #9 Western Michigan Broncos, in addition to finishing the Augustana series, while Stoever recorded a win and loss against unranked 2-3-2 Robert Morris and a loss in the first of a two-game series against Augustana.
Their equality is not based on either goalie playing especially well or badly, but that they played differing competitions.
Stoever has played better but benefited from playing a lower-level team. He also experienced significantly fewer shots in the first game of the Augustana series compared to the second game.
Moore however was peppered in the net, especially in the second Augustana game and the first Western Michigan game, where he played to a tie through the first two periods in both competitions that series and executed his saves to perfection with few rebound chances and many gloved pucks.
After playing BG, Mercyhurst enters a stretch of four games against Atlantic Hockey Association opponents and will surely seek to add their first win this weekend with solid goalie play, as well as the defensive support they have seen from their blue-liners all season.
In preparation for the CCHA starting with St. Thomas on November 10 and 11, head coach Ty Eigner will be looking to find his goalie this weekend.
Stoever and Moore will try to solidify their position in the net and find their first win at home this Friday at 7:07 in the Slater Family Ice Arena.
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