In one sense, Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens is like a major league baseball pitcher who pitches well but whose team invariably fails to score runs — which means he comes out on the losing end of too many games.<\/p>\n
But here’s where Scrivens differs from that type of pitcher: he wins, regardless of how many goals the Big Red score.<\/p>\n
Through his first 13 games this season, Scrivens was 9-1-3 with a 1.38 goals-against average — which tied him for second with Quinnipiac’s Nick Pisellini both nationally and in the ECAC — and a .947 save percentage — which ranked second to Pisellini both nationally and in the ECAC.<\/p>\n
Now, check out these 13-game team stats:<\/p>\n
• Cornell ranks second from the bottom in the ECAC and 39th nationally in goals scored (33).<\/p>\n
• Cornell leads the ECAC and is tied for second nationally with only 20 goals allowed.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, a goalie in that situation might be justified in thinking if he gives up more than two goals his team is going to be in trouble.<\/p>\n
Scrivens, a junior from Spruce Grove, Alb., feels that theory is worth less than the paper it’s printed on.<\/p>\n
“I can’t think if I let in one now, I can’t let in another,” he said. “I can’t go in thinking ‘I need a shutout today’ or ‘I only can let in one goal.’ You’ve got to give your team the best chance to win a game.<\/p>\n
“There’s a concerted effort by the guys in front of me. They’re looking to play defense first. A lot of our offense comes in transition. Besides, stats are misleading. We went into North Dakota (in late November) and lost our first game (7-3) and scored five goals on the weekend (Cornell won the rematch, 2-1). You’re always going to have games where a puck goes out instead of in.<\/p>\n
“You only can control what you’re doing out there,” continued Scrivens. “I can’t control whether I’ll face 50 shots in a game or less. You’ve got to be ready for it. If I get 15 shots and let in two, then I’m not holding up my end of the bargain.”<\/p>\n
Without question, Scrivens held up his “end of the bargain” last season.<\/p>\n
While playing 90 percent of the team’s minutes, he was 19-12-3 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage plus three shutouts. And from the second period against Quinnipiac on Nov. 3, 2007 until the first period against Niagara on Jan. 5, 2008, he had a home shutout streak of 163 minutes and 3 seconds.<\/p>\n
Moreover, in ECAC games, his GAA was 1.88 and his save percentage was .932 which ranked second to Harvard’s Kyle Richter.<\/p>\n
Yet when the All-ECAC teams were announced, Scrivens didn’t even receive third-team honors.<\/p>\n
Go figure.<\/p>\n
“Again, that stuff outside the game you can’t control,” said Scrivens. “Obviously, it would have been nice to get some recognition. But it always ends up happening when a team has success, individual accolades follow. In hindsight, I wish we would have had a better showing in the ECACs.<\/p>\n
“I try to stay more focused in terms of wins and losses.”<\/p>\n
Scrivens, admittedly, refused to use this perceived snub as motivation coming into the current season.<\/p>\n
“For me, the push was more internally within the team,” he said. “I’m lucky enough because I’ve asserted myself. If I go down tomorrow, the team is confident in the other guys. We have four goalies this year (Troy Davenport, Dan DiLeo and Michael Garman besides Scrivens) and there’s competition.<\/p>\n
“There’s no way I can take full credit for my stats last year. The credit goes to the guys in front of me sticking to the game plan.”<\/p>\n
Scrivens’ plan coming out of Spruce Grove was noteworthy of his primary concern.<\/p>\n
Given Cornell’s long tradition of outstanding goalies (read: Ken Dryden, Brian Hayward, David LeNeveu and David McKee), it’s reasonable to assume that would have been an attraction for Scrivens — who starred for Spruce Grove in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (the Saints’ MVP in his second season, he was 27-12-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .921 save percentage).<\/p>\n
Not quite.<\/p>\n
“Once I was approached by Cornell, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “The schooling aspect was more of a sell for me, personally, than the hockey. My parents (Wayne and Dawna Scrivens) figured that was the best way to go about it. At a lot of places, you don’t quite get the education.<\/p>\n
“Obviously, there aren’t any guarantees of ice time. But I was really lucky to get the opportunity to come here. I spent time in juniors two years before coming here. The only reason you stay away from major juniors is if you want to come to the U.S. and play hockey.<\/p>\n
“If you’re looking to go to college,” continued Scrivens, “you’re looking for the best college available.”<\/p>\n
Being one of the best goalies in college hockey obviously requires a specific mindset — not unlike a closer in baseball who realizes the game is on the line every time he steps on the mound.<\/p>\n
Scrivens, who quips that he was “flat-out no good at forward” when he first started playing hockey, relishes the nature of the position.<\/p>\n
“It’s a position where you’re the hero or the goat,” he said. “If you play well and make a big save near the end of a game, you get a lot of credit. If you let in a softie, things can change in a hurry.<\/p>\n
“Consistency’s the big thing. If you’re a forward or a defenseman, you can get away with a bad shift. In goal, if you’re having bad games, you usually don’t last too long. <\/p>\n
“I enjoy the pressure,” added Scrivens. “I enjoy the challenge because when you come through there’s no better feeling than that.”<\/p>\n
Good point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Long built around defense and goaltending, Cornell is following a familiar script this season thanks in large part to Ben Scrivens. Mike Scandura reports. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n