BEVERLY — To hear Endicott’s stout defenseman Logan Day tell it, the first time he saw the Gulls all-star goalie Kevin Aldridge without his pads on, he thought it was a prank.
“I heard we had a pretty good goalie. I’m looking around the locker room and I see this short little guy. I’m thinking that is not our goalie,” said Day, who transferred to Endicott from Division 1 Northeastern this season.
The first time Aldridge, who stands 5-foot-7 on skates and weighs 160 pounds, robbed him in practice, Day was impressed. It took all of one period to convince him the little guy in the crease was the real deal.
“From the first game, it was apparent that he’s all that. All the hype was real,” said Day.
What Aldridge, a junior from Michigan, has done in net goes well beyond hype. Twice the Goaltender of the Year in Endicott’s conference, he’s gone 37-12-4 over the last two seasons.
“I don’t think about size at all. Dwelling on it’s not going to make me grow,” Aldridge said. “I play my game. I come out of the crease and I’m aggressive.”
This winter, he’s improved his numbers in every category and has Endicott (24-3-2) in the Division 3 NCAA quarterfinals Saturday against host Trinity (19-6-3).
“It’s a pretty special group in here and I’m privileged to play behind them every day,” said Aldridge, who posted 40 saves on the road to beat Hobart last weekend for Endicott’s historic first-ever NCAA playoff win. At Trinity in Hartford Saturday night will be another hostile environment — and that’s one that Aldridge relishes.
“I prefer it. I like going on the road and having that loud crowd,” said Aldridge. “Seeing them get into it and get on you makes it a lot more fun.”
Goalies come in all shapes and sizes: Six-foot-seven LA Kings goalie Ben Bishop once lost a Division 1 Frozen Four game to 5-foot-6 Jeff Lerg. Aldridge may fall on the small end of that spectrum, but he has a tendency to play big.
“The edge and the fight he plays with, that he’s had his whole life being an undersized goalie, represents the fight our team has had the entire year,” said Endicott head coach R.J. Tolan. “He’s a competitor and he’s a gamer.”
Looking to launch his team in its first varsity season a year ago, Tolan started Aldridge in all 27 games. Transferring in from Division 1 Lake Superior State, Aldridge had a first-team All-Conference line of 16 wins, a 2.65 goals against and a .925 save percentage.
Somehow, he’s been even better this winter. Aldridge’s 21 wins rank first nationally, his 1,570 minutes are third in the country, and he’s vastly improved what were already sterling goalie numbers with a 2.02 goals against and a .935 save percentage (8th in the country).
“Playing their second year of college hockey, guys are a little more comfortable and maybe used to the way we play,” said Aldridge, who has made 40-plus saves in a game five times this season.
Endicott, which leads the country in shots for, has cut down on shots against in 2016-17. Aldridge made 30 or more saves 15 times last year and has done so 11 times this season; remarkably, the busier he is, the better he is. Endicott is 5-0 this year and 8-2 in his career when Aldridge makes 40-plus saves.
“Sometimes it helps seeing more shots, getting the game going and getting in a rhythm,” Aldridge said. “My guys have done a good job keeping the shots outside and making sure I can see them.”
Defensively, the Gulls have been solid. Day is one of the best two-way defenders in the country and typically plays with captain Ryan Dougherty. That means they’re capable of winning some high scoring games, as they did in the conference championship (5-4 over the University of New England) and NCAA first round (4-3 over Hobart).
“You just need one more than the other guys, right?” says Aldridge, who like most great goalies puts a mental block on any puck that happens to slip by. “It’s mostly reaction. I play better when I’m not thinking, to be honest. I like to feel the game and have fun out there.”
Making their way to the Division 3 Frozen Four next weekend in Utica, N.Y. in just their second year as a varsity team? Nothing would be more fun for the Gulls than that.
“We’re just trying to get the culture going here. The further we go, the easier it is to get more guys coming in later,” said Day. “Every great program starts off with one team that makes a run, and then it takes off from there.”
Knowing they have an ace in net more than capable of cleaning up any mistakes helps Endicott feel good taking chances offensively. They also thrive on their goalie’s competitive nature.
“He mirrors the mentality of the kind of team we have,” said Tolan. “You don’t win as many games as these guys have won without a lot of people that compete that way.”
What’s it going to take for the Gulls to punch through Trinity and get to the Division 3 Frozen Four? Besides some big saves from their reliable netminder, they’re focused on making it a typical road outing with good shots and solid fundamentals.
“When you’re in the hotel the only thing on your mind is we’re here to play hockey,” Day said. “We have to play together and come out flying.
“We want to show the country what this team is all about,” Aldridge added. “We know how good we can be and we want to show that to everybody else.”
ALDRIDGE BY THE NUMBERS
Endicott goatender Kevin Aldridge is one of the nation’s best:
Wins: 21 (1st nationally)
Goals against: 2.02
Save percentage: .935 (8th nationally)
Shutouts: 4 (3rd nationally)
Minutes: 1,570 (3rd nationally)
40-save games: 5
30 save games: 11
Two time conference goalie of the year
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