Mike Greenberg and a host of others were discussing the
merits of Jason Elliott's (Cornell) getting so many starts
 as a rookie. Adam Wodon asserted that rookie goalies don't need to be
worked slowly into the lineup.
 
I think that most successful collegiate goalies are older
than the average player in their class and played minor
junior hockey in Canada. As a group, goalies tend to peak
later in their careers- I'll spare you a thousand examples
from the NHL, but I suspect not too many people will argue
this point anyway. It takes time to learn the skill of reading
 the play, to learn the shooters, to develop confidence, etc.
 
College hockey is no different. The best goalies in the
league are usually seniors or, where there are few
incumbents, the most mature, experienced rookies. The more
games you play before you get to college, the better off
you are. Examples: Todd Sullivan, Yale - USJHL after he
finished up at prep school (the senior turns 25 in Nov.).
Trevor Koenig, Union - Canadian minor junior (the freshman
turns 21 in December), James Konte, Princeton - USJHL for two
seasons (the junior turned 23 in Jan.), Dan Murphy, Clarkson
- Canadian minor junior (the freshman turns 21 in May), etc.
Generally, goalies don't jump from U.S. high school or prep
school hockey to be competent college goalies at age 18.
Tom Barrasso is a notable exception - he went from Acton-Boxboro
High School to the NHL.
 
Other exceptionally mature goalies who dominated the ECAC
include Christian Soucy (21-year-old freshman) and Paul Cohen for
St. Lawrence (another 21-year-old freshman), although Cohen
had to bide his time.
 
In summary, coaches try to recruit experienced goalies relative
to forwards or defensemen. If successful, they are not hesitant
to give them playing time and less likely to coddle them. So I'm
not surprised that 20-year-old rookie Jason Elliott, a veteran
of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, was thrown right
into the fray - nor am I surprised that he has done well. Bandurski,
by the way, came to Cornell as an 18-year-old - as did Skazyk.
 
Geoff Howell
The Trenton Times
Drop the Puck