'EXCEPTIONAL' GOALTENDING BACKSTOPS 18Us' SIZZLING START TO SEASON

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As much as it may seem natural to separate team play in hockey from goaltending, the reality is that each aspect often feeds off the other.

 

That feedback loop can be positive or negative — either a virtuous cycle, or a vicious one.

 

For the BK Selects 18U boys, they’ve seen the bright side of that phenomenon, as the studly play of goalies Sammy Doyon-Cataquiz (Falls Church, Va.) and Ethan Phillips (Rochester, N.Y.) has bolstered the team's level through the opening weeks of 2024-25.

 

Doyon-Cataquiz, a Quinnipiac University commit, has a .943 save percentage and three shutouts in nine games, while Phillips (Providence College) is at an equally-dazzling .948 with two shutouts in nine appearances. In the 15 games played through Oct. 20, the BK 18Us have allowed just 11 total even-strength goals.

 

“I believe we have the best goaltending tandem in the country for the 2007 age group,” said 18U Head Coach David Arduin. “That’s counting the USHL, too. They make us look better and it’s nice to have them when we’re not playing our best, so we can get some of those gritty wins.”

 

Victories have been plentiful in the early going for the 18Us, as they’re at 10-4-1 for the season and No. 4 in the nation per MYHockey Rankings. 

 

Included in those results have been hard-fought, low-scoring wins over NE Pack league rivals Long Island Gulls and Mount St. Charles, plus a shutout of top-10 foe South Kent School and a 1-1 tie at the No. 1 18U team in Canada, St. Andrew’s College.

 

“It’s a game of emotions, and we’ve gotten some big saves in those one or two big moments in a game,” Arduin said. “Those saves have allowed our guys to play freer. We’re still focusing on playing responsible, but we’re more confident, too.”

 

While their all-around play hasn’t yet been as tight as Arduin and his players would like, the 18Us have still averaged three goals per game, with Konner Powell (Nashville, Ind.) leading the way at nine tallies and 17 total points.

 

“Our team has played with a lot of competitiveness and urgency,” said Powell, recently named one of the team’s assistant captains. “We’ve lost a few games we shouldn’t have, but those moments are building us as a team and as a brotherhood. 

 

“We learn and grow on the ice, in the weight room, and in the video room every single day. We are all super competitive and the adaptation to our plays and systems has been a very significant reason to our success.”

 

Another factor in the fast start? The integration of three new European players into the program. 

 

Konstantin Hutzinger (Wels, Austria) is third on the team with 13 points (8g, 5a), Matyáš Jonák (Plzen, Czechia) has 10 points (6g, 4a), and defender Martin Cerny (Plzen, Czechia) is settling in after a shipping snafu forced him to borrow equipment for the season’s first several weeks.

 

Arduin had glowing remarks about all three, noting specifically that Hutzinger did well to overcome an early adjustment period to the quicker, more frenetic North American game. While Jonák played last season in Michigan for another youth program, Hutzinger jumped straight to Rochester from the Red Bull Academy in his native Austria.

 

For his part, Powell said he has made a concerted effort to include the newcomers in team activities — formal and informal.

 

“The main goal is to make them feel at home,” Powell said. “As a leader and person, I take into account that obviously English may not be their first language. Making sure they get everything they need, checking in on them, and creating friendships with them will go a long way in making them feel comfortable.”

 

Clearly, Bishop Kearney has been a home-away-from-home for Powell, who’s in his third season with the BK Selects. He said it’s a “special opportunity” to wear a letter on his jersey for this rising program.

 

“In school, at the rink, in the dorms, there are eyes everywhere,” he said.“Along with leading by example, I set a personal goal to be more vocal. This responsibility has been an everyday task, and I’ve noticed it’s one of the most important ones. 

 

“Bringing the energy, positivity, and respect to the locker room everyday has helped us as a team. Our style of play is building at a speedy rate and I can’t wait to see where this season takes us.”

 

With goaltending as good as the 18Us have been getting, there’s a chance to go quite far. Doyon-Cataquiz said he is feeling “very confident” in his second year at this level, but he also tapped his goalie stick to the skaters in front of him for their all-out efforts.

 

“Our competitiveness this year is great, not only in games but even in practices,” Doyon-Cataquiz said. “We have shown great coach-ability, trusting our coaches as they guide us through the year. 

 

“It’s been great meeting and making new friendships with all the new teammates over these past few weeks. It’s been a process learning the new systems and building chemistry with everyone, but we powered through and have been playing great hockey.”

 

And if there’s a breakdown, the 18Us know someone’s got their backs. Two someones, actually.

 

“Our goalies have been exceptional,” Powell said. “Sammy and Philly have kept us in a lot of games and we couldn’t win the way we do without them.”