by Mike McMahon/Staff Writer (@MikeMcMahonCHN)
Denver added goaltender Paxton Geisel for the rest of the season. He has already arrived and dressed as a backup goaltender this past weekend.
Geisel committed to Denver in 2020. In 11 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) this season, he had a 3.86 GAA and .870 save percentage. Over three seasons in the USHL, he posted a 3.50 GAA and .884 save percentage in 75 games.
The Pioneers have been tight-lipped about the status of goaltender Matt Davis, but this suggests that Davis could be out for the long term. Otherwise, I don’t see the benefit of burning a year of eligibility from an incoming recruit.
Davis has not appeared in a game since Oct. 27 against Augustana. Denver has been riding freshman Freddie Halyk, who has a 2.32 GAA and .899 save percentage in nine starts.
It makes sense that the Pioneers would add a viable backup if Davis is going to miss significant time. Denver is 10-3-1 on the season and too good to let a promising season slip away if Halyk were injured and Davis wasn’t ready to play.
Davis dressed two weeks ago and served as a backup. However, it’s possible he was never healthy enough to play.
Last season, UMass dressed Cal Kiefiuk for a game at Merrimack as an extra forward, and he never took a shift. UMass coach Greg Carvel said after the game that Kiefiuk wasn’t cleared medically, but he felt there was a positive having him on the bench as a veteran leader.
I don’t see the point in burning a year of Geisel’s eligibility if Davis was going to be ready to play in the short term, especially with the semester break looming. The Pioneers have four more games before they’ll be off for almost a month. If the thought was that Davis would be ready to go by Jan. 5 against Niagara, I assume that they would have opted to leave Geisel in the USHL.
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