Mosher Ranks High in AUS Goaltending

With perennial powerhouses Acadia and UNB pulling away in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) standings, the success of both programs can be linked to strong play between the pipes. However, in ranking the Conferences’ best goaltending performances thus far, one must look beyond these probable selections and dig out some equally impressive goalie performances from the bottom half of the conference.

Photo Credit: Ted Pritchard/Chronicle Herald
At the risk of killing the suspense, we begin at the top with Acadia’s Evan Mosher in the number one spot. A somewhat obvious choice, Mosher’s stellar 1.91 Goals Against Average and equally impressive .927 Save Percentage are both tops in the AUS. In net for twelve of the Axemen’s fifteen wins this season, Mosher’s provided plenty of confidence to Head Coach Darren Burns. Currently in his third year with the Axemen, the Conception Bay, Newfoundland native has posted an impressive .800 win percentage and, prior to last weekend’s 5-3 loss to UNB, had yet to surrender more than two goals in a start since November 29, 2013.

With such impressive goaltending backing the Axemen, the UNB Varsity Reds will be hard pressed to pull away from Acadia as we approach the home stretch of AUS Conference play. Only trailing Alberta, Calgary and the Varsity Reds in the CIS rankings, the fourth ranked team in the nation is as stable on the back end as any CIS program in the country. Although Mosher’s numbers make him the uncontested number one goalie in the Conference, goalies two through five have had impressive 2013-2014 campaigns in their own right.

Photo Credit: Ian Readey
In a mirror image of the Conference standings, my second spot goes to the University of New Brunswick’s Charles Lavigne. Despite posting the fifth best save percentage (.897) and ranking third in goals against average (2.62), Lavigne has more starts, minutes played, and, wins than any other goalie in the Conference, and in wins in all the CIS for that matter with 14. While playing on a Varsity Reds team that expects a shot at the University Cup year in and year out, the expectations placed on Lavigne and the amount of playing time allotted to him have not caused him to falter thus far this season. Going 14-4-0 over eighteen starts, much of UNB’s success in the latter half of the season will depend on his consistency for the duration of the season.

Photo Credit: UPEI Photography
Rounding out the third and fourth spots in the AUS goaltending rankings are Wayne Savage and Mavric Parks of UPEI. Having started nine and eight games respectively for the Panthers, Savage’s .925 save percentage has been more impressive than Parks’ .904 mark. Despite UPEI’s pedestrian 10-7-2 record, the Panthers have allowed the second fewest goals and posted the highest team save percentage in the Conference, thanks in large part to their goaltending duo. This becomes all the more impressive when considering they sit in fourth place in the standings, a full 11 points out of first place in the conference. If not for Savage and Parks UPEI would likely find themselves sitting somewhere below the five hundred mark heading into February.

Photo Credit: The Guardian
The final spot in my rankings goes to another net-minder who has shouldered the brunt of the work for his program: Adrien Lemay of the Universite De Moncton Aigles Bleus. Having won five of his last seven starts, including a big upset over Acadia last weekend, Moncton sits third in the Conference behind Acadia and UNB. Being the only option for the Bleus throughout the season, Lemay has posted a 3.38 GAA and .894 save percentage in his fifteen starts. Above any one particular stat it is Lemay’s grit and tenacity that warrant his spot in my top five rankings.

As the number one spot in the AUS will likely come down to a battle between Mosher’s Acadia Axemen and Lavigne’s UNB Reds, goaltending will factor heavily in ultimately deciding who will represent the Atlantic Coast of Canada when the University Cup rolls around.