Calling all goalies: Plattsburgh State Head Coach P.J. Kavanagh is hiring for a spot between the pipes.
With a history of shaky employment defending the cage, this season, junior Logan Carpenter, sophomores Danny Caufield and Joey Carni and freshman Gordie Gehring are all looking for work in front of the net.
All are in the running for the starting spot, which is up for grabs after the departure of Matt Billia.
PSUC Assistant Coach Ryan Cavanagh, former team captain, has seen the waves of goalies that the Cardinals have started in the past and said he hopes to have a starter named by today, as the team opens up its regular season on Long Island against Western Connecticut.
Cavanagh said that in his first year as a Cardinal, former Cardinal star Billy Hughes started as a freshman over a senior.
Last season, Billia, who transferred from Adelphi in 2008, was the first full-time starter since 2006.
Carpenter, a former walk-on now battling to start, said he thinks they’re all up for the job, but would love to be the main stopper.
“I’ve been consistent and the defense respects me as a player,” Carpenter said.
Cavanagh said Carpenter, in addition to being trusted by the defense, has been the most consistent.
Cavanagh described Caufield as “one of the most talented and streaky goalies” the team has. He started every game in high school his junior and senior year after splitting time his sophomore year.
“It’s up for grabs honestly,” Caufield said. “We brought in a new freshman, but with three returners I think it’s coming between me and Logan, but Carni has proved a lot.”
Though Cavanagh would like to have a clear cut starter, splitting time between two goalies isn’t being ruled out.
“The defense has played with many goalies in the past,” Cavanagh said. “It has worked for us before.”
Last season’s back-up goalie race was a foreshadowing of what has taken place this preseason.
“The battle last year between Carpenter and Caufield over second- and third-string goalie changed depending on the week,” Cavanagh said. “It’s a tight race now, and it was a tight race last year.”
Carni, who suffered a knee injury his senior year of high school and got to face only one shot last season, is still in the running too and said Gehring taking a season to examine the college game may be beneficial to the freshman.
All four have been given reps with the starting defense, which includes Cardinals core veteran players Mike Glynn, Brantley Beach, Will Folgherait and Dan DeFrancesco.
The four contending for the starting spot maintain that no rivalry among them will ever exist — they all have goalie blood running through them and only concern themselves with wins, not playing time.
“Just being goalies we’re together in practice all the time, and we become close,” Carni said. “As long as we’re winning, it doesn’t matter who’s in there.”
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