Keni Gibson of the men’s hockey team has been named The Northeastern News Player of the Week after turning away all 32 shots put on him by the second-ranked team in the nation, Boston College.
The shutout was the fifth of the junior’s career, and fourth this season, which broke both the career and single-season Northeastern records.
Both records were held by former Husky great Marc Robitaille, who hails from the same part of Canada as Gibson. Robitaille suited up in the black and red from 1996-98, with three blankings in the 1997-98 season.
“To be compared with the goalies that held the records [before me, like Marc Robitaille who is from Ottawa Valley, where I’m from, and a guy like [Husky win leader] Bruce Racine,” said Gibson. “To be put in the same category as them is a real big honor.”
Robitaille and Gibson shared a goaltender coach, Tom Dempsey, in their younger years in Canada, which played a part in Gibson ending up in Boston.
“[Dempsey] told me so many great things that Robitaille said about Northeastern,” said Gibson. “How much Robitaille loved it, how much it helped his game, playing here under coach Crowder and in Hockey East.”
Husky assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Jamie Rice was sold on Gibson when Dempsey mentioned he resembled his former pupil Robitaille, regarded as one of the best goaltenders to suit up for NU.
As a freshman, Gibson made 25 starts, including 22 in a row, and was named to the America East All-Rookie team. He also set the school record for goals against average (2.64) and posted the second highest save percentage (.905) behind Jason Braun.
Gibson started 21 games as a sophomore and bumped his freshman save percentage of .905 into third place all time after putting up a .907. He stopped 43 shots in a 2-2 tie against New Hampshire, the top-ranked team in the country at the time. He set his career-high in saves with 45 in a loss to Providence.
“I think he’s pretty happy with his play, and he should be. I think confidence plays a big part in it, but I think the way he’s playing is an even bigger part of it,” said coach Bruce Crowder. “If he’s out, up and aggressive he’s a tough goalie to play against.”
Crowder noted that Gibson’s confident style of play asserted itself in early December when the Huskies picked up their first two wins of the season, shutouts of Vermont and Princeton. It continued when NU defeated Colgate and Mercyhurst to win the RPI tournament over the Christmas holiday.
“[Gibson is] kind of a butterfly goaltender, and he takes care of the lower part of the net quite a bit,” said Crowder. “He’s a guy that relies quite a bit on his quickness, he doesn’t have the size of the [New Jersey Devil’s Martin] Brodeaur’s of the league, or even [Maine’s Frank] Doyle, but he’s a good athlete, so that helps.”
Crowder avoided comparing Gibson with Robitaille, noting their differing styles, with Robitaille playing a more angle-driven, stand-up style.
The tie against Maine may be the stepping block the Huskies need to get out of the cellar for the first time since the beginning of the season. Boston University, currently a point ahead of NU in the Hockey East standings, will face a tough second-ranked Massachusetts team next week, while the Huskies will take on seventh-place Merrimack.
“The thing that is really helping us now is the freshman are stepping up and playing like upperclassmen,” said Gibson of the team’s playoff hopes. “They’re no longer freshman at this time of year. All three freshman defensemen are playing like upperclass defensemen, it really helps, they’ve just developed their game so much. And the freshman forwards have been doing well all year too.”
— Peter Conroy, News Staff
