Hockey Has Tradition Of Great Goalies
11/11/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 11, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ever since Joe Selinger?s 2.67 goals-against average led Michigan State to the 1959 NCAA Frozen Four, the Spartans have had a history of great goaltending.
Now, as junior Joe Blackburn and freshman Ryan Miller have combined for a 1.29 GAA and a .942 save percentage entering this weekend?s games against Bowling Green, the tradition continues between the pipes.
In every era, it has been goaltending which has been the backbone of the Spartans? success.
The list of Spartan All-Americans at the position almost mirrors the year-by-year list of starting goaltenders. Nearly every goalie who has been the primary starter for at least three years at MSU has earned All-America honors.
Others, like Gaye Cooley in 1966 and Bob Essensa and Norm Foster in 1986, did not earn All-America status but captured the ultimate prize ? the national championship.
?I remember Michigan State?s goaltending history being a factor when I was deciding on a school,? said Blackburn, who last year became the seventh Spartan at the position to earn first-team All-America honors. ?When I was 10 years old in goalie school one of the instructors was Bob Essensa. Names like that stick out when you look at a school.?
For Blackburn, it is an honor to see his name in a list which includes Essensa, Jason Muzzatti and Ron Scott.
?I?m happy to be a part of it,? Blackburn said. ?I don?t appreciate it as much now as I probably will when I get older, but to be mentioned with goalies like that is amazing.?
Head coach Ron Mason doesn?t have a secret formula for success at the position ? rather it comes from a general theory put into practice.
?I learned a long time ago from Sam Pollock and Scotty Bowman in the Montreal Canadiens system that championship teams are always built from the goal out,? Mason said. ?When I have recruited I have always kept that in the back of my mind.?
Mason has had goaltenders lead him to championships, and earn individual accolades as well. Every one of Mason?s starting goaltenders has earned first- or second-team All-CCHA honors since the Spartans joined the league in 1981-82.
?We have been fortunate to have had some very good goaltenders, and I think we have made them better,? Mason added. ?I have always made sure to have drills which helped the goalies, and recently we have had goalie coaches to help them even more individually.?
Under Mason, the tradition of great goaltending may have started with Ron Scott, MSU?s only two-time All-American in nets. Scott carried the Spartans to their first two CCHA playoff championships.
In recent years, the rest of the team may have contributed more to goaltenders? success.
?The last few years, the style of the college game has mirrored that of the NHL, and I think we have been very good at following that trend,? Mason said. ?Attention to detail defensively is something everyone can learn, and if you do that, goaltenders don?t? have to make as many saves.?
Nevertheless, the Spartans have to count on Blackburn and Miller time and again, just as they counted on Cooley, Rick Duffett, Jim Watt and Chad Alban before them.
?You can?t take anything away from those guys because of our style of play,? Mason said. ?They have made some very big saves for us, and they have been sharp even when they don?t see a lot of shots.?
ALL-AMERICAN GOALIES AT MSU
1959 Joe Selinger* 1962 John Chandik* 1969 Rick Duffett* 1972 Jim Watt* 1982 Ron Scott* 1983 Ron Scott* 1990 Jason Muzzatti# 1998 Chad Alban* 1999 Joe Blackburn** First-team All-America # Second-team All-America
By Nate Ewell, MSU Assistant Sports Information Director