New QU Goalie Looks to Make his Mark

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Aiden Barrett

64 games, 64 starts. In the past two years, head coach Rand Pecknold has made the decision to put Keith Petruzelli in between the pipes for the Bobcats every single game. 2021-2022 will see a new regime of Quinnipiac goaltending.

In 1992, Manon Rheaume became the first ever/only woman to play in the National Hockey League. She suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping seven of nine shots against the St. Louis Blues. One of those shots came off the blade of hockey hall of famer Brendan Shanahan. 

Rheaume’s son, Dylan St. Cyr, looks to be the next ace for Pecknold in the crease. 

St. Cyr is a top end talent. Before attending the University of Notre Dame, playing under the legendary Jeff Jackson, St. Cyr was a product of the U.S. National Development team. While playing alongside present NHL players such as Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuck, St. Cyr posted a .900 save percentage in 47 games.

In 2017, St. Cyr won a gold medal with the United States at the U18 World Junior Championships. He held a .921 save percentage and a 1.96 goals against average in seven games. St. Cyr also recorded an assist in a 4-2 win over Finland in the gold medal game on a Joel Farabee goal.

It wasn’t until the 2020-2021 season that St. Cyr was named the starter at Notre Dame. As a starter, St. Cyr proved to be money. The netminder came away with a .921 save percentage in 22 games.

Maybe the defining moment of St. Cyr’s season was his back-to-back shutouts against Michigan State and Penn State, with the latter game featuring a 38-save performance.

St. Cyr is a relatively small goaltender. The Vegas born netminder stands at just 5’9”, but he makes sure to use all of it. St. Cyr is an aggressive goalie with outstanding positioning, forcing the opposition to make precise shots if they want to beat him.

St. Cyr can also play the puck. This is a defenseman’s dream, as he’s a goaltender that can hit them on that breakout pass and keep the game at a high pace tempo.

The Notre Dame transfer enters the season as a senior joining a goalie group already consisting of sophomore Yaniv Perets and junior Evan Fear.

Quinnipiac goaltending has always been strong, from Jamie Holden’s “Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Year” award in 2004 to Michael Garteig’s school record 78 wins.

St. Cyr will look to make his own mark in Bobcats history with a vital role in the 2021-2022 season.