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DURHAM, N.H. – Alright, Maine~iacs. You want to see Dave Wilson play? You just might get your wish.
For weeks, University of Maine hockey fans – students and old-timers alike – have wondered just what back-up goalie Wilson was made of. After all, stalwart Big Ben Bishop was struggling – allowing six goals twice in a string of five outings – and looked like he needed a break.
That was before this weekend, the pivotal and bitter Border War with No. 1 New Hampshire. Pundits, prognosticators and many fans had UMaine pegged for the slaughterhouse at the hands of whistlin’ Dick Umile’s offensive juggernaut.
Bishop, in true UMaine goaltending form, would have none of it. It didn’t start out quite that way, with UNH leading 2-1 through two Friday night thanks to a marshmallow soft goal that bounced off the jolly giant’s glove and into the cage.
But the third period was different. UMaine’s defense clamped down, Bishop only had to make six saves and he made them all with ease. In all, he totaled 27 stops and a win over the hated ‘Cats – a solid night at the office for any goaltender.
Saturday night he picked up right where he left off. In front of a Whittemore Center crowd that rivaled Alfond decibel levels, Bishop shined. He made 15 stops in the first period, incluing a number of just-misses that might’ve had the Maine~iacs chanting “You got lucky” at an opposing sieve.
Luck didn’t seem to be a factor, though. For the first time in a long time, Bishop exuded supreme confidence. There was nothing to worry about – the puck wasn’t crashing into his net. He was Joe Cool through several UNH power plays, once clearing the puck outside the zone with a punch from his blocker, causing one veteran scribe on press row to smile and remark that he’d never seen such a feat.
Simply stated, it was Bishop’s best period of the year, and perhaps, of his Black Bears career.
As fate would have it, the whole thing came crashing down, both literally and figuratively, early in the second when Trevor Smith billowed into Bishop, knocking him into the net, down and out. The typical get-off-my-goalie scrum ensued while Bishop lay prone on the ice. He tried to play on, but came out a few minutes later because the pain in his strained groin was too much.
Was Smith’s hit a dirty play? It’s hard to say. He got two minutes for roughing, but there didn’t seem to be intent to injure. Bishop – not usually one to rattle cages – said Smith made no effort to avoid the collision, and that only Smith knew what his true intentions were.
With what coach Tim Whitehead once called his Rock of Gibraltar on the bench, UMaine could’ve panicked. They didn’t, but it didn’t help that Wilson quickly had to face a potent UNH power play with a face-off in his own end. Ten seconds later the game was tied, ‘Cats fans had tossed that wretched fish onto the ice and all seemed lost.
The shame of it all was that this felt like Bishop’s breakout weekend. You couldn’t help but feel like that fish would still be rotting in some UNH fan’s bag if Bishop didn’t tweak the groin.
That’s not to say that Wilson, who was beaten only twice and settled down to make 21 saves, was at fault. He played very well, only to be bested by Kevin Regan’s incredible performance at the other end. It’s hard to blame the back-up goalie when you lose 2-1 and put 47 shots on net.
Now the Black Bears face a quagmire. Wilson says the game helped his confidence, and he’ll be ready to go if needed. Bishop says he plans to play, but the look on his face and the nature of a groin injury are concerns. Boston Bruins fans know Hannu Toivonnen seemingly hasn’t made a save since tweaking his groin last year, and even the great Dominik Hasek has been crippled at times by groin problems.
How severe Bishop’s strain is remains to be seen. What is certain is that the Black Bears have four games against the iron of Hockey East and two of the best goaltenders in the country staring at them the next two weeks. Confidence may be at a premium after last night, and gripping the sticks too tight is the best friend of goalies like Joe Fallon and Cory Schneider.
The biggest question coming into the season for UMaine was what might happen if Bishop went down. The unthinkable may now be reality, and Michel Leveille, Josh Soares and Teddy Purcell need to rally the offense and get the power play going. Every netminder plays better with the lead, so giving Wilson some room to work will be of the utmost importance.
Tom Brady made a miracle happen when Drew Bledsoe got hurt, and ditto for Jeff Garcia with Donnovan McNabb. Maybe Dave Wilson is Tom Brad – the kid who just needs to get a chance to steal the limelight forever. I’m not suggesting he doesn’t deserve the minutes or the confidence of Black Bear Nation.
The bad luck that’s struck Bishop is sickening and reeks of voodoo from Wildcat fans. After being maligned for much of the season, he was coming into his own and Smith may have ruined everything. With one fateful rush, he could become UNH’s Mo Lewis.
Conventional wisdom says Bishop will play – after all, the forecasts of doom after Leveille’s injury against Vermont were way off. But with UMaine hockey, conventional wisdom has been known to fail more often than not.
Be careful what you wish for, because Friday night against Vermont you just might get it, and for all the wrong reasons.
