No. 10/10 Penn State men's hockey defeated Minnesota, locking in its spot in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal game versus No. 1/1 Michigan. In hopes of the Nittany Lions punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, head coach Guy Gadowsky made a critical determination in net for the blue and white.
Penn State hockey postseason vitality must withstand troubling opponent
“I analyze [goaltenders] by whether they win or lose, their save percentage, their goals against, and how they play for the team,” Gadowsky said, according to Nittany Sports Now.
Out of his two options, goaltenders Josh Fleming and Kevin Reidler, there's an obvious answer as to who stands tall in net for the postseason.
The freshman goaltender has a 10-5-2 record with 547 saves on the season. Fleming allowed 45 goals, averaging 2.56 per contest, and registered a .924 save percentage. The sophomore, on the other hand, has an 11-7 record, making 526 saves and allowing 58 goals. Reidler holds a .901 save percentage and averaged 3.31 goals allowed per game.
Gadowsky previously rotated the two of them, assessing their performance throughout the regular season. Based on the head coach's method for evaluating goaltenders, Fleming is Penn State's guy for the playoffs.
“With [Fleming] … I’ve got to give him an A,” Gadowsky said after the Nittany Lions' win over the Golden Gophers on Wednesday. “He obviously came up big when he had to and he looked very much in control.”
Against the Wolverines in particular, Reidler struggled, allowing seven goals in Penn State's 7-1 loss in mid-November. Gadowsky threw Fleming in the second night, and the Nittany Lions won 3-2.
The freshman also kept the first night of the second series at a tie come the end of overtime. When the sophomore was given another opportunity, he failed again as Penn State lost in night two, 6-3.
Competition isn't getting easier for the Nittany Lions. If they come out of Saturday still alive in the hunt for a Big Ten Championship title, they will more than likely have to get past No. 3/3 Michigan State to win it all.
Off the stats and analytics, fleming is their best chance at doing so.