do you think maybe, just maybe we give lacosta a shot as our back-up? i’m sure kevin lalande can handle the workload with syracuse, and we wouldn’t have to spend the money on a free agent.

Blazer,

Let me give you a scenario.

It’s April. The team is about 4 wins out of a playoff spot. Mason is a little tired, a little achy, and he feels like some guys are figuring him out and trying to rattle him in the cage. And we’re going into that “fun” stretch that the NHL sets up every year with back to back games against Detroit, St. Louis, and Chicago.

So after talking to the Goalie coaches, some of the D, and maybe even Hitch, he decides to sit down with his backup and ask how he handles this type of situation – get a few tips and maybe see if that backup’s seen anything that he can use to give himself that little push to help see the team through the rocks and shoals.

And Dan LaCosta looks at him blankly and says. “Dude, I have no freaking idea.”

That’s why we need a veteran backup.

I like seeing you put Mayorov at #2.

In fact, I think it’s going to inspire me to write a new post…

My gut feeling is that Allen York will be jumping up this list next year in a substantial way. A much more solid defense in front of him and now RPI will be adding major forward talent (for the first time in a long time) this year and potentially next year as well.

York took the reigns for the team in the ECAC Playoffs last year and won three games (2 against Dartmouth, 1 against Cornell) as well as earning a shutout against #2 seed Cornell in the second round. Watching York play down the stretch sealed my opinion of him. He’s a cool customer and doesn’t rattle even under the most obscene kinds of duress, makes some huge saves and plays very big in the net.

I know the goalie future doesn’t look overwhelmingly promising given what there is in Syracuse, but York could emerge as a stud in a couple of years, something I look forward to watching as an RPI follower.