The major question mark for the Bangor High School boys hockey team entering the season was its goaltending.
Workhorse Liam Doughty graduated, leaving sophomore Cody McCue and freshman Cole Fernald to handle the chores.
So far, so good. You could even say it is better than good.
The 8-1 Rams have held seven opponents to two goals or less, and have allowed only five goals in their current five-game winning streak.
The last three wins have all been shutouts as they blanked Saint Dominic Academy of Auburn and Falmouth by 1-0 scores before besting Lewiston 3-0. Lewiston dealt Bangor its only loss earlier this season, 4-3.
McCue posted the shutouts over St. Dom’s and Lewiston and Fernald blanked Falmouth.
Bangor coach Quinn Paradis said his two goalies have an exceptional work ethic.
“They’re the first ones on the ice and the last ones off,” Paradis said.”They have improved immensely the last six to eight weeks.”
They work closely with goalie coach and former Bangor standout goaltender Derek Fournier and it is paying dividends, according to Paradis.
They are two different types of goalies, Paradis said.
The 5-foot-2 McCue is “very quick. I’ve never seen a goalie that quick. He is very good down low and he controls his rebounds really well. He eats a lot of pucks.”
Fernald is very sound fundamentally and technically, Paradis said.
“He is always in (good) position. He cuts down angles. He doesn’t give shooters much to shoot at,” said Paradis, who added that Fernald also has a good glove.
He stands 5-7.
“They have both made some very key saves in important parts of the game,” Paradis said.
The 16-year-old McCue is 5-0 with a sparking 1.18 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. The 14-year-old Fernald is 3-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
Paradis is quick to point out that their success is also a product of the teammates around them.
“A lot of it has to do with the back end (defensemen). The guys have been playing pretty good defensive hockey and it spills over to the offensive zone,” Paradis said. “We always talk about our forecheck. If we work hard in the offensive zone, that’s less time we have to spend in the defensive zone.”
The Rams always keep their third forechecker high in the offensive zone to prevent odd-man rushes.
He said his defensemen have done a nice job keeping opposing shooters on the perimeter and clearing the net front so the goalies can see the shots.
The goalies agree.
“The reason we’ve been winning is our defense,” said McCue. “They get the pucks out (of the defensive zone) and they block a lot of shots.”
They also said Fournier has played a vital role in their development.
“He’s taught us how to play our angles; how to get our hands out and react to shots and how to know where the play is going,” said Fernald, who added that the two of them “do a good job pushing each other in practice.”
The Class A North Heal Points leaders are allowing just 1.56 goals per game.
Paradis uses five defensemen on a regular basis.
Senior Preston Henry plays on a tandem with sophomore James Schureman; senior Richie Trott is with junior Zachary Lindquist; and junior Jake Biberstein also rotates in.
Henry, one of the captains, said the outstanding play of the goalies has surprised him.
Henry said he and the rest of the defense corps do their best to limit the number of Grade-A shots their goalies have to face, “but sometimes the puck still gets through. Then you see these young goalies come out of nowhere to make a crazy save. You wonder how it’s possible,” he said.
“Derek is a great coach and they work harder than anyone else,” said senior center and captain Jackson Guimond. “They have done a real good job. They have made some game-saving saves for us. They give us a lot of confidence.”
Guimond has been one of the team’s best defensemen during his career, but he has been moved up front this season and is having an impressive campaign centering one of the Rams’ top two scoring lines.
Guimond has 10 points on three goals and seven assists and he is flanked by left wing Ty Walker (7 goals, 5 assists) and right wing Michael Moscone (7 and 6).
Guimond does drop back on defense on the penalty kill.
The other primary scoring line has Chase Caron (5 and 4) centering right wing Marc-Andre Perron (4 and 7) and left wing Miles Randall (3 and 10).
“Everybody has bought in and is working together. That’s what it takes to get where we want to go,” said Paradis, whose Rams are seeking their first state championship game appearance since the inception of the program in the 1980s.
Bangor will take on Class B North and Sawyer Arena neighbors John Bapst/Hermon/Bangor Christian/Deer Isle-Stonington on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.