The Dutchmen didn't expect to have a lot to worry about between the pipes entering the season.
While Union did lose former All-American goaltender Troy Grosenick to the San Jose Sharks, the Dutchmen had a strong alternative in Colin Stevens, who served as Grosenick's top backup the past two years.
Last season, Stevens posted a 1.62 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in 11 games.
But Stevens' transition to full-time duty is on hold. The junior from Niskayuna remains sidelined with the upper-body injury he sustained early in the season opener against Bowling Green on Oct 11. His return date is unclear.
With Stevens out of action, the Dutchmen first turned to well-regarded freshman Alex Sakellaropoulos. But the former Chicago Steel netminder has been shaky in the early stages of his collegiate career with a 3.95 GAA and an .825 save percentage in four games.
He was yanked in the second period of Saturday's 3-2 loss to Lake Superior State after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
Third-stringer Dillon Pieri replaced Sakellaropoulos. Pieri, a junior, was making just the second appearance of his collegiate career; the other one was a garbage time stint in a 7-3 rout over RPI last November. On Saturday, Pieri wasn't tested much, but he stopped 6-of-6 shots in 25:33 of action.
“Last time I checked, he didn't let in any goals,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said of Pieri. “He gave us a good chance to win. That's all we can ask him to do.”
Despite that, Bennett wasn't ready name a starter for next Friday's non-league game at Connecticut.
“[Assistant coach] Jason Tapp is going to work with the goalies like he always does,” Bennett said. “We're going to see who is the best this week and see who gets the shot on Friday night.”
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“[Assistant coach] Jason Tapp is going to work with the goalies like he always does,” Bennett said. “We're going to see who is the best this week and see who gets the shot on Friday night.”
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