Neither one of Maddi Welch’s skates scraped the ice during Syracuse’s 2-1 season-opening loss to Bemidji State. It was her turn to watch as she sat and fixated on both goalies. Her eyes crossed the oval, analyzing how Syracuse junior Abbey Miller and Bemidji’s Brittni Mowat reacted to every situation they were faced with.

Thoughts rushed through her head regarding how she would react in their positions. One night later, she stood in the crease instead of Miller. The Beavers unleashed 27 shots on her, netting three, as the offense stalled in front of her in another loss.

After the weekend, Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan still doesn’t know who his starter will be when Syracuse (0-2) plays at Northeastern (2-2) Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. A season after senior Jenn Gilligan started 32 of 36 games in net for the Orange, Flanagan is content with letting Miller and Welch share time at goalie.

“Sometimes you just go with a rotation and if it works for them and works for the team that’s what we go with,” Flanagan said. “But we had that a few years ago. We had (Kallie) Billadeau and (Jenesica) Drinkwater the whole year just alternating and that worked pretty well, so we’re just not sure. You feel like the coach who has two quarterbacks.”

With both goalies close in ability, Flanagan said, he doesn’t anticipate the rotation having an adverse effect on the team. Welch even sees the competition as a positive for her and Miller, whom she’s close friends with, to work harder through practice.

Following Syracuse’s respective losses to open the season, SU’s schedule granted the team 13 straight days without game action. As the rest of the team shifted from defense to forecheck to power play action, the goalies focused heavily on puck control.

“Coach always emphasizes just making sure we control our rebounds,” Welch said. “Put them in safe spots, which are usually corners. That’s huge for us so I think that’s the main thing.”

Leading up to the weekend’s pair of games in Boston, Flanagan gave no indication on who will play. It’s a decision he expects to make Thursday night, which Welch stated was the team’s usual approach.

Beneath that battle, the situation could become even more complicated before playing time consolidates. Freshman Ady Cohen isn’t in line to face shots from opponents yet but Flanagan said he could see it happening.

“It’s very early for her, she’s just getting her feet wet,” he said. “Getting used to the new equipment and college and all that. I’m sure for her it’s so dramatically different from the prep school team. So the speed of the game, how hard the shots are, and how quickly the shooters release the puck. She’s getting better and more confident.”

It’s all an evaluation process for Syracuse. Flanagan witnessed a goal from each that he would have liked back, but said neither game required great play in net to reverse the outcome. As much as the goalies need work, he said, improvement is needed from players across the board. The goalies’ play kept them in both games, he added.

Eventually, Flanagan expects one goalie to rise above the other two and become the starter.

“I try not to focus on that (while playing),” Welch said. “I try to focus on what I can control which is practicing well, doing what I can do.”

For now, Welch considers Miller her “partner.” Next week, that could completely change. What Flanagan has done is keep the position completely open-ended and for now both will receive watch time.

Published on October 12, 2016 at 10:26 pm

Contact Bobby: rpmannin@syr.edu