The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Two goalies better than one for Yale
NEW HAVEN — As of Wednesday afternoon, Keith Allain hadn’t made a final decision on how he’ll use his goaltenders for this weekend’s ECAC Hockey first-round series with Quinnipiac.
A two-man rotation has worked well since being implemented in December. Wilton’s Sam Tucker has been the Friday starter; sophomore Corbin Kaczperski goes on Saturday. The Bulldogs (15-13-1) are 12-6-1 since both began seeing regular time.
Following the same formula for the postseason is a logical option, though it’s not quite that cut-anddried.
In eight February games the two have won three of four starts. But Kaczperski has posted better statistics — 2.33 goals-against average and .931 save percentage compared to Tucker’s 3.41 and .880.
Yet Tucker started both regular season games against Quinnipiac and performed well, making 40 saves in a 3-0 loss in November and 29 saves in a 3-2 victory on Feb. 9, snapping Yale’s 11-game winless streak against the Bobcats.
Tucker also has postseason experience. He was in net for each of the Bulldogs’ four playoff games last year, a home sweep of Dartmouth in the first round and a quarterfinal loss at eventual Frozen Four participant Harvard.
Allain will likely have
made his choice by the conclusion of today’s practice, the final one before the best-of-3 series begins Friday. All three games are at Yale’s Ingalls Rink.
“It’s a great problem to have,” Allain said Wednesday. “We have two goaltenders that I’d be proud and happy to put in the lineup either one of these games. When you’re looking at a potential three-game series, odds are you’re probably going to need both. I think that puts us in a really good spot.”
Tucker’s numbers in February are somewhat misleading. He allowed five goals on only nine shots in his last start, a 6-4 loss to Dartmouth, but had little to no chance on most of them as Yale struggled to defend in its zone or made horrific turnovers directly in front of the net.
Earlier this month he was brilliant in beating Quinnipiac (14-16-4). It marked the first victory for Yale over their backyard rival since the 2013 national championship game in Pittsburgh.
Kaczperski is a classic late bloomer whose game wasn’t ready for major college shooters until recently. He saw no action as a freshman and was behind Tucker until Dec. 1, when he made his first Yale appearance, a 2-1 loss at Rensselaer.
He’s been steady in all 11 of his appearances since, posting a 1.92 GAA and .936 save percentage for the season. Against ECAC competition, his 1.62 GAA and .947 save percentage is behind only Cornell’s Matthew Galajda — the Big Red are loaded and ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll — and Colgate’s Colton Point, who played for Canada at the World Junior Championships this year.
“Whatever happens,” Tucker said on Wednesday. “The guys are excited and ready to play.”
Yale’s offense has also greatly improved over the course of the season, with junior Joe Snively emerging as one of the nation’s most prolific playmakers.
He’s on the verge of leading Yale in scoring for the third straight season with 19 goals and 17 assists. And his 15 points in the month of February (eight goals, seven assists) is tied for fifth-best in the country during that span. He’s also taken 41 shots on goal in February, tied with Northeastern’s Dylan Sikura for most in the nation.
“It’s his determination,” Yale senior captain Ryan Hitchcock said. “He wants to score. He’s very skilled so he’s going to go out there and make hockey plays. He makes everyone he plays with a lot better. He’s really tough to contain. I can tell you that from playing against him in practice the last couple of months. He’s a great player and does a lot of things well.”
Allain, who returned from a stint as a U.S. Olympic assistant coach last weekend, recruited Snively to be an offensive sparkplug. The Herndon, Virginia resident racked up 109 points in two seasons with Sioux City of the United States Hockey League prior to enrolling at Yale.
What’s most impressed Allain about Snively’s emergence is at the other end of the ice.
“He’s playing more of a two-way game,” Allain said. “He’s a dynamic offensive player, but he’s done a good job playing both sides of the puck. We’ve been able to use him on the penalty kill. We’ve been able to use him on defensive zone draws late in the game when we’re protecting the lead. The more complete a hockey player you are the more you can help your team.”