Men’s hockey junior goaltender Michael Garman has decided to graduate a year early and will pursue a professional career, the net minder confirmed to The Sun on Monday night. Garman, who started 17 games for the Red during the 2010-11 season, called the decision “one of the hardest things” he has had to do in his hockey career, but remained confident in the choice because it represented what was “best for [his] family.”The Vail, Colo. native has sought counsel from an advisor and will look to sign on with a professional team, as he went undrafted prior to beginning his career on East Hill. While Garman did not initially seek the advice of former Cornell forward Riley Nash, who made a similar decision last year, he did speak to Nash after coming to a conclusion and stated that his former teammate was very supportive of the decision, recognizing how difficult a choice it had been. “The coaches never want to lose a player, but they were all extremely supportive,” Garman said in reference to head coach Mike Schafer ’86 and associate head coach Casey Jones.For Garman, “the hardest part” was breaking the news to his teammates. “We’re all great friends,” he explained. In his first two seasons at Cornell, Garman appeared in only three games — none as a starter — backing up former Hobey Baker Award nominee Ben Scrivens ’10. Garman spent his junior season splitting time with freshman Andy Iles in net, but maintained that the limited playing time resulting from Iles’ presence was not a primary factor in his decision to graduate early. In 17 starts Garman went 8-8, compiling a 2.21 goals-against average and a .928 save-percentage.
Original Author: Evan Rich