Colgate netminder never alone on the ice

By Joe Smith

Daily Sports Writer

Junior Colgate netminder Jason Lefevre lightly taps the crossbar four times, kneels down and starts to pray just before the shootout begins.

One might think that the goalie is just begging that the pipes that surround him will help deter the barrage of penalty shots that the Wolverines will fire.

But to Lefevre, this display is nothing out of the ordinary - and its meaning transcends any game he plays or any save he makes.

His father died suddenly of an aneurism this past spring, on the day before his final exams started.

The man who had introduced him to the game he loves at the age of two - and coached him on and off the ice throughout his entire childhood - was gone.

Colgate coach Don Vaughan was impressed with how Lefevre handled the situation and "the way he responded - the summer that he had having to deal with that."

This fall, Lefevre had to deal with another tragedy close to him, as his best friend's father died suddenly.

"So he's had to go back over all the emotions again," Vaughan said. "But he's trying to manage, even though it's something he definitely won't get over."

Instead of getting down and letting the tragedy consume his life, Lefevre decided to make a statement, dedicating this season in his father's memory.

So every time he takes the ice, he takes the time in between periods to reflect and communicate with his dad, whom he feels is always there with him.

"I just talk to him," Lefevre said. "I tell him how things are going and see if he's going to be there for me. Sometimes he wants me to let a few goals in just so that I don't get too confident. It's a comforting thing to know that he's there with me."

In his first game since his father's death this past Friday against Michigan, Lefevre was one of the only reasons Colgate sent the game to overtime. The Red Raiders' netminder was constantly under attack, as Michigan pelted 32 shots at him, including eight in the extra session.

His quick glove save on Michigan winger Scott Matzka's slapshot with just a minute remaining in overtime kept Colgate going and forced a five-man shootout to decide who would play in the championship game.

Lefevre was "unbelievable," Vaughan said. "He's been waiting patiently for this chance and he answered the bell."

While Michigan consistently attacking during the third period and the entire five-minute overtime, the ice became a bit chippy and rough in the Red Raiders zone. Snow buildups around the crease gave Lefevre an advantage, because it inhibited the Wolverine snipers to cleanly deke and make their best moves on the Colgate netminder.

Lefevre still had to contain Michigan's top scorers, trying to execute their best moves in five penalty shots in order to advance to the title game - with the only ones on the ice being a Wolverine, Lefevre and his father's memory.

The Red Raiders goalie proved up to the challenge, shutting out all five of Michigan's shooters, including Andy Hilbert and Mike Cammalleri.

"That's probably up there with one of the greatest moments I've had," said Lefevre. "It was a great feeling to take a win from them."

It was especially bittersweet for Lefevre and the Red Raiders, since Michigan ended their season in an overtime thriller at last year's NCAAs.

Lefevre wasn't the starting goalie then. He split duties with Shep Harder, who graduated this past spring as Colgate's all-time leader in shutouts and goals against average.

But it is now Lefevre's team, as he takes the primary responsibility as starting goaltender for the No. 16 Red Raiders - and he doesn't mind the added pressure that comes with it.

"I think I'm more confident in myself now that I'm the guy," Lefevre said. "It makes me step it up a little more."

And it helps that he knows he'll never be alone on the ice.

"My dad's in my heart right now," Lefevre said. "He never missed a game and still will never miss a game."

BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daily