It was a frantic flurry in front of goalie Sam Brittain in the waning seconds of the second period Saturday night.
But Brittain stood tall, and eventually gobbled up the final shot as the buzzer sounded to end the period.
There was still a goose-egg on the scoreboard next to the Merrimack logo.
It was a scene that summed up the Pioneers’ two-game series against Merrimack rather succinctly, as the Pios blanked Merrimack 1-0 and 4-0 on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.
Brittain faced 53 shots over the weekend, and stopped them all—and he made history for the Pioneers, posting back-to-back season opening shutouts, the first feat of its kind in the program’s 65 year history.
“You know it’s nice to get off to a fresh start, Brittain said. “It was a little disappointing last year with how things turned out, but that’s the way goaltending goes. Nothing feels better than getting off to a good start this year and solidifying myself as a lead goalie in the NCAA.”
Brittain played 33 games his freshman year but has since played 26 games through two seasons.
Last year, Brittain split time with sophomore Juho Olkinoura, who left for the NHL after last season.
“I’ve grown up a bit,” Brittain said. “I’m a bit more mature and able to handle that pressure and take on what the team needs me to take on. I think that experience, just being three or four years older has definitely helped me put a little bit of that pressure on my shoulders and help out the younger guys.”
If there was ever a doubt as to Brittain’s ability after posting a 5-7 record last year in 14 games, those doubts were squelched over the weekend.
In Saturday’s game, Brittain came up with a key stop during a 2-on-1 Merrimack break off of a turnover during a DU power play in the first period. It led to a DU goal by Joey Laleggia on 2-on-1 break the other way. It was the first goal of the game.
“The situation we’re in with a new coach, 10 new freshman and a new conference, there are a lot of unknowns, so there’s not the preseason pressures,” Brittain said after the game. “I’m just going out and playing hockey and I feel really good.”
Both of the shutouts over the weekend were aided by a Denver defense that limited quality scoring opportunities for the Merrimack offense. The Merrimack power play unit was also stymied, going 0 for 9 through two games against Denver.
“I can’t imagine a better team start,” said Head Coach Jim Montgomery. “Are we still not sharp in our defensive zone? Yes, and Merrimack exploited us at times. But having a senior goalie like Sam Brittain and the leadership that [David] Makowski and [Josiah] Didier and [Joey] LaLeggia have provided on the back end has been instrumental in us not giving up any goals.”
“We won a lot of draws in our own zone that helped us clear the puck out of the way,” added Brittain. “I think if we continue to be strong in our own zone then we’ll clear a lot of pucks and be successful on the penalty kill.
On the offensive end, the Pioneers went three for nine on the power play, with four different scorers, including junior forward Daniel Doremus who also had the lone goal during the win Friday night.
Freshman defenseman Will Butcher cashed in on the power play for the Pioneers during Saturday’s game in the second period to make it 2-0, while senior defenseman David Makowski fired a one timer past the Merrimack goalie to make it a 3-0 game.
“Results right now are secondary to the growth and development of the team, [and] understanding how we want to play,” Montgomery said. “When I say ‘hey we’re playing Pioneer hockey,’ I think the guys are starting to get it, to understand how we want to play Pioneer hockey.”
Check out a slideshow from Saturday night’s game below:
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