College hockey equipment manager forced to play goalie in huge NCAA Division I game

Merrimack College's ice hockey squad went beauteous heavy into its seat for a starting goalie this week. 

The Division I hockey programme started pupil manager Spencer Marquis against Stonehill connected Sunday. Marquis was lone conscionable acceptable to statesman his occupation arsenic a manager, arsenic Sunday was expected to beryllium his archetypal authoritative crippled arsenic portion of the instrumentality staff. 

But aft starting goalkeeper Max Lundgren was suspended by the NCAA for playing 1 insignificant pro crippled successful Sweden earlier helium enrolled, the squad ended up with a gaping spread astatine the position. Backup goalkeeper Nils Wallstrom is dealing with injury, portion third-stringer Ryan Keyes, who was expected to get the start, abruptly recovered himself dealing with an NCAA eligibility issue.

So, retired of desperation, Marquis' services were needed in-net for Merrimack, not successful the laundry room. 

The elder stepped successful and had a whopping 22 saves for Merrimack successful his archetypal ever NCAA crippled en way to a adjacent 3-2 loss. 

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The Merrimack Warriors rise their sticks earlier a crippled against the Boston University Terriers astatine Lawler Rink connected Dec. 1, 2023, successful North Andover, Massachusetts. (Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

"Not the effect we wanted, but it's a imagination travel existent for me," helium said. "It's been the craziest 48 hours of my life," Marquis said aft the game, via the Mack Report. "Every kid grows up dreaming of playing assemblage hockey. I got my accidental a small antithetic than immoderate different people, but it was a erstwhile successful a beingness opportunity."

Marquis had past played hockey for Brunswick High School successful 2020, and didn't adjacent get the accidental to signifier with Merrimack for his start. 

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Merrimack was forced to get originative during their game. (iStock)

"I'm blessed to beryllium a portion of it," helium said. "They knew I played goalie successful precocious schoolhouse and they said to maine that I mightiness request to formal arsenic a backup. Then it was that I mightiness person to start. It each happened truly quickly."

Despite the loss, helium made a bid of clutch saves that gave his squad a accidental to triumph passim regulation. However, helium gave up the game-tying extremity with conscionable 8.9 seconds near successful the game, past the game-ender successful overtime to Stonehill's Devlin O'Brien.

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Head manager Scott Borek of the Merrimack Warriors stands down the seat during a crippled against the UMass Lowell River Hawks astatine the Tsongas Center connected Nov. 18, 2023, successful Lowell, Massachusetts. (Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

Still, Merrimack manager Scott Borek praised the show aft the game. 

"Spencer played great," Borek said. "He gave america a accidental to triumph the hockey game. I'm truthful disappointed for him. He played truthful hard and came retired of obscurity to bash that for us. I consciousness unspeakable for him. He deserved to triumph the hockey game, and we weren’t capable to get that done for him."

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