Despite his recent struggles, Effinger (right) will continue to start Fridays, while Zatkoff (left) will man the pipes Saturdays. (File Photo)
It hadn't happened before. Not this season and not last season, so the event shifted people in their seats when they saw it or read about it - Charlie Effinger was benched less than six minutes into the second period in the RedHawks' Jan. 26 game at Notre Dame.
But heading into this weekend's series against Alaska-Fairbanks in the frozen tundra up north, the RedHawks are sticking to the same strategy of the past two seasons - Effinger will start Friday and Zatkoff will start Saturday.
"Our rotation is staying intact," Blasi said. "There's no reason to change it at this point."
Last season, both Effinger and Zatkoff ranked as two of the best netminders nationally. Effinger, a sophomore last season, started 19 games in the 2005-06 season and was ranked first in the CCHA with a 1.83 goals-against average. Effinger was also ranked first among CCHA goaltenders in save percentage, touting a .931 average and earned All-CCHA honors by making the second team, the first Miami goaltender to earn all-conference accolades since Trevor Prior did so in the 1996-97 season.
But so far, 2006-07 has not been a great year for Effinger and whether it is a streak of bad luck or simply because the puck isn't bouncing his way, his statistics speak out. Not since a 5-2 victory over Michigan State Jan. 5 has the junior let up less than three goals in a game. Effinger's GAA has almost slipped by a full goal from last season to 2.82 while his save percentage is down to .892. Effinger's latest debacles include a 4-1 loss to Michigan State Jan. 6 where he gave up all four scores and allowed four more in the 4-4 tie with Ohio State in Columbus. But last Friday's performance in South Bend, Ind., was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"It was more or less a coaching strategy, and after the change the team did pick it up a lot," said forward Andy Nelson. "It was a disappointing week ... and we bit the bullet. Getting the tie (Saturday) kept us up in the rankings ... but the guys know that going to Alaska this week that we really need to pick it up because we're teetering right now on getting into the NCAA Tournament."
Zatkoff was instrumental in getting the team into the tournament a year ago, quickly made a name for himself as just a freshman. He posted the fourth-best winning percentage nationally at .725. Additionally, he followed almost directly behind Effinger with a 2.02 GAA and was positioned second with a save percentage of .928, posting three shutouts along the way.
But maybe being a sophomore is where the luck of the RedHawks lies because Zatkoff has hasn't missed a beat. Currently this season, Zatkoff sports a 2.12 GAA and a save percentage of .922, just a slight dip from last season's numbers.
But a year later with a defense that has lost All-American Andy Greene from last year's squad, the RedHawks have felt a little bit more pain at their end of the ice. While it is a team sport, a spotlight often falls on the goaltender, especially when losing is involved.
Nevertheless, Blasi remains steadfast in his decision to have Effinger and Zatkoff splitting time between the pipes.
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"I don't foresee this happening again," Blasi said, in reference to his pulling Effinger. "It's something that over the course of a year, I'm sure teams do just to spark their team. Effinger's played great for us all year."
Blasi also noted that the spotlight shouldn't exactly fall exclusively on the goaltender in these situations, but rather on the entire team.
"Any time you pull a goalie, it's more of a reflection on the team than it is on the goalie," Blasi said. "The underlining statement when you pull a goalie is that our team is not playing very well right now (and) we got to pick it up. That's exactly what our guys did and I knew they would respond that way."
Despite the issues in the net, Miami remains in second place in the CCHA, behind only Notre Dame. With the team's success, Blasi reiterated that his decision was nothing more than an in-the-moment decision.
"It sounds like everybody's starting to panic for no reason," Blasi said. "I mean, we're in second place and we're 18-9-2 and if I would have told you that at the beginning of year, you probably would have said, 'That's a great record.' I'm not sure why people are making a big deal out of us pulling a goalie."
Neither Zatkoff nor Effinger were available for comment.
"Our goal from the beginning of the year was to be playing our best hockey come March," Blasi said, "and last time I checked, March is still a month away."
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