April 10, 2008

Chestnut Hill, MA (UWIRE) -- Last summer, after graduating from Noble and Greenough School, John Muse prepared to do what many aspiring college hockey players do: pack his bags and head to the Midwest to play junior hockey. The 19-year-old goaltender had committed to Boston College, where the coaching staff intended to start star Cory Schneider between the pipes for the 2007-2008 season.

Things did not go exactly as planned, however. Throughout the spring and summer of 2007, there was speculation that Schneider may leave BC to pursue a professional hockey career in the Vancouver Canucks organization. Muse was aware of this and knew that if this happened his plans may change, and they sure did.

"One day over the summer, I got a phone call asking me to come in and pick out equipment, in case something happened and they needed me. When I got here, Coach [Jerry] York called me into his office and told me that I [was going to be the starting goalie]. It was a pleasant surprise," Muse said.

The young goaltender, a self-proclaimed "big family guy," felt relieved that he would be fairly close to his home in East Falmouth, Mass. His parents are also delighted to be able to attend all of his home games and many of his away games, something they would not have been able to do had he gone to play junior hockey.

Ever since his early days of youth hockey, Muse had aspirations of playing at the collegiate level. As a young boy, he wanted to play at the University of Michigan. He quickly realized, however, that players from the East generally stay in the East, and he set his sights primarily on the four Beanpot schools

He was heavily recruited, but in the end, it came down to BC, Harvard, and UMass Amherst. All three of these programs compete in powerful conferences and have exceptional coaching staffs. It was a tough decision for Muse, but when all was said and done, BC stood out for one reason: Jerry York's teams are often playing hockey in April, when most clubs have traded their sticks for golf clubs. Muse wanted to play for a national championship contender.

To make this transition, Muse worked closely with assistant coach Jim Logue, the goaltending specialist on the BC staff. "He's been amazing. He's helped me a lot this year physically and mentally."

Muse has made this tough adjustment very well. Throughout the season, he has achieved a .920 save percentage and a 2.26 goals allowed average. He has played the most minutes of any goaltender in the nation. He has started all of the Eagles' 42 contests and has never been pulled from a game except in situations where York has decided to opt for a sixth skater.

He has proven himself as someone his hockey club can rely on in a close game. His team is currently riding a seven-game win streak. Muse has come up big in one way or another in each of those games. Throughout the streak, he has allowed an average of only 1.7143 goals per game.

He held his own in an epic Hockey East semifinal win against UNH at TD Banknorth Garden, in which he played nearly 101 minutes. The game went into three overtimes and although he allowed four goals in the first two periods, he held the Wildcats scoreless for the final 67:47.

Muse and his teammates had to return to the Garden less than 24 hours after the UNH game to face Vermont in the Hockey East finals. "We were able to get a good night's sleep and the training staff was great. They got us into the cold tub and the hot tub [to make sure we were ready to play]."

Not only did Muse play the next night, he shut the Catamounts out, 4-0. He stopped 29 shots, including a barrage in the first period that easily could have given UVM the early momentum. When asked about his dominant performance in that key contest, he was quick to downplay his own effort and give credit to his teammates, saying, "Luckily, I was able to get a few good stops, but [the defense] really stepped up," he said.

The freshman had two more strong performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass. He made 32 saves against a hot Minnesota team and held Miami (Ohio) scoreless in a hard-fought overtime period, on the way to a 4-3 victory for the Eagles and a Frozen Four berth.

Muse is a part of a freshman class that has been a huge part of the team's success this season. Joe Whitney, Brian Gibbons, and Nick Petrecki have all produced in clutch situations. "I don't think a lot of people thought we were that good of a class, and we really took that to heart," Muse said.

On Tuesday, the Eagles left for Denver for their third straight Frozen Four appearance. Muse's biggest regret from his high school career is that his team never won a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council championship.

Now he has another chance to win a championship, but he is not going to let the pressure of the big stage get to him. "We expect to win, but we are also going to enjoy ourselves. You go out and play hockey. I don't see it as a pressure thing; it's something I love to do. It's no different than when I was a kid out on the pond."

(C) 2008 The Heights via UWIRE