Men's Hockey | 1/29/2016 11:00:00 AM
College hockey aficionado and Pittsburgh media personality Mike Prisuta contributes regular commentary on the RMU men's hockey team. This is his latest:Pittsburgh, Pa. – It's been
Terry Shafer in the net for Robert Morris since the second period, Jan. 3, against Union and it's in the net for Robert Morris where Shafer figures to stay.
"The ball is in
Terry Shafer's court," head coach
Derek Schooley announced this week.
Shafer, a senior, and junior
Dalton Izyk split the goaltending chores by design last season until Izyk eventually emerged as the starter for the final two regular-season games and RMU's three-game run in the postseason.
Schooley had envisioned a different scenario playing out at the outset of this season, one in which the two would split starts initially but not for as long as they had in 2014-15.
The thought process back then was the emergence of a regular starter would force the backup to compete harder for playing time and make both players better in the long run.
It didn't quite work out that way, but Izyk's continued unavailability due to injury has nonetheless altered the equation.
"Dalton has been battling injuries this year and will be out an extend period of time," Schooley said. "How long that continues is to be determined. But we're in the stretch drive now and to come back from injury will be very difficult."
Shafer, who relieved Izyk after 20 minutes at Union, has started six consecutive games and is prepared to start the rest of the way.
"Obviously you never want somebody to get hurt, especially a guy like Dalton, who's a very good friend of mine," Shafer said. "But at the same time, when it comes down to it there's only one net.
"It's a great opportunity for me. I'm looking forward to doing the best I can for the team."
Shafer and Izyk have been doing that for the last three seasons.
Shafer was the established starter in 2013-14, when an early-season ankle injury severely limited Izyk's opportunity to compete for playing time as a freshman. But Shafer suffered a knee injury in the third game of a first-round, best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournament series against Army. Izyk came off the bench and backstopped the Colonials all the way to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where they took on No. 1 seed Minnesota in the NCAA Tournament.
That led to a regular rotation as a method of providing playing time for two goaltenders who both deserved to play last season, a campaign that ended with an Atlantic Hockey Conference regular-season championship but short of a return to the NCAA Tournament.
Izyk had started nine games and Shafer 11 this season through the puck drop at Union.
Shafer is 10-6-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage this season. His 34 career victories trail only Christian Boucher (42) and Brooks Ostergard (39) in RMU history. Shafer's current career goals-against average of 2.69 matches Eric Levine for the best in Colonials' history.
With Izyk out of the picture, the new No. 2 is sophomore
Andrew Pikul (0-0-1 in 62:50 of scoreless relief this season, 0-0-2 with 40 saves on 40 shots faced in 78:08 of career action).
"Terry's been an all-league goalie and he's won a lot of hockey games," Schooley said. "He leads our program in all-time shutouts (with seven, three this season).
"How could you not have confidence in a player who has accomplished what Terry has accomplished?
"We've said all along we had two No. 1 goalies. When Terry went down, Dalton was there. Now that Dalton's having health issues, Terry's there. That's why you have two goalies."
Izyk, while down, hasn't been completely out.
He played a supporting role in last Saturday's 6-1 win over Mercyhurst, a victory that sent RMU into its upcoming off weekend at 15-7-4 overall, including an Atlantic Hockey-leading 12-4-4.
"He was the first one in the locker room that came over and got in my ear between periods," Shafer said of Izyk. "He'd picked up on something."
Shafer is ready to pick it up from here.
"Absolutely," he said. "My body feels good and mentally it's just as sharp as ever.
"I'm excited here down the stretch."
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