Four Goaltenders Give Red Depth

From the perspective of the men’s hockey team, the ECAC Hockey coaches must have missed something last year when they were voting for league awards. Netminder Ben Scrivens, now a junior, was overlooked in spite of numbers superior to many fellow netminders in the league.
“You look at [Scrivens’] statistics from last year, he had a great year,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “I thought he was one of the best goalies in the ECAC if not the best.”
Scrivens led the league with a .930 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average while starting more games (32) than all but three other ECAC Hockey goalies. He was named ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week after making a career-high 45 saves against Massachusetts on Nov. 30. His previous record of 36 saves had come on the big stage of Madison Square Garden against Boston University on Nov. 24.
Even with Scrivens, who was recognized as honorable mention All-Ivy, entrenched between the pipes, the Red has three other capable goalies pushing for playing time this season. Seniors Troy Davenport and Dan DiLeo and freshman Mike Garman have all proved their ability.
Garman is poised to be the Red’s goalie of the future. The rookie displays excellent fundamentals and is technically sound. He also has big game experience — last year he posted four shutouts, helping the Nanaimo Clippers to a British Columbia Hockey League regular season title.
DiLeo is an experienced backup who has been the Red’s third-string goalie each of the past three years. He saw his first collegiate action last year in the ECAC consolation game against Colgate March 21, when he posted three saves and allowed one goal in relief of Scrivens.
Davenport was the No. 1 Cornell goalie for the 2006-07 season and posted a .899 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average. Starting last season’s home opener against eventual league champ Princeton, he took the loss in a 3-2 defeat. During his sophomore season, Davenport showed flashes of dominance. He posted 27 saves in a shutout of Quinnipiac then followed that up with a 37-save performance against Princeton the next day.
Although Scrivens proved himself against numerous high-octane attackers last season, the team maintains that a player must prove himself week-in and week-out to retain the starting role. Should Scrivens lose his touch in the eyes of the coaches, Davenport is first in line to replace him.
“I wouldn’t say a lot changed [from the beginning of last season], the pressure is still there to perform in practice and in games,” Scrivens said. “If I stop performing, my job and all the work I did last year is out the window.”