He likened it to being on a roller coaster.

Former University of Maine goalie Garth Snow established himself as a National Hockey League-caliber goaltender only to have his abilities and those of counterpart Ron Hextall questioned by the media as their Philadelphia Flyers were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in their Stanley Cup final series.

But Snow said he wants to remain in Philadelphia.

“Do I want to be a starting goalie? Yes. But if it means waiting a couple of years to do so, I’d rather do it here,” said the 27-year-old Snow, who wouldn’t mind sharing the duty with the 33-year-old Hextall again next season.

Snow is a free agent who made $350,000 this past season. He expects the Flyers to sign him, but he knows they have the final say.

“It’s up to management. If they want me, I’ll come back. As I’ve stated all along, it’s a great organization,” said Snow. “I do want to be a starter some day. I know I have to take another step to get to the next level. I know I can do it. Hopefully, I’ll get that opportunity here.”

In his first full season of playoff duty, Snow compiled an 8-4 record, a 2.83 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage. Hextall was 4-3 with a 2.97 GAA and an .892 save percentage.

Snow got to play in only one game in the final series, the 4-2 loss in Game 2 in Philadelphia. He made 24 saves, but was victimized by Kirk Maltby’s game-winner from the top of the faceoff circle.

After the game, Flyers coach Terry Murray said Hextall would start the rest of the games in the series.

“That’s a coaching decision. That’s not up to me,” said Snow. “I don’t think I played that poorly. I’d like to have Maltby’s goal back, but it was still a shot from the top of the circle through a screen. It’s not like it was a God-awful goal.

“I’m taking a positive approach. I know I’m going to be a better goalie next season,” stated Snow. “One, I’m going to work hard this summer. I’m going to change things up with the way I train. Two, just from gaining experience this year and learning players’ tendencies, I’ll be better. A lot of my faults are correctable. It has always been my goal to become a better goalie every year.”

He said he has learned to take some of the media speculation with a grain of salt.

“You can’t believe all the rumors you hear. The quotes and what the people who make the decisions actually say can seem like night and day,” said Snow. “It’s not my decision. I go out and play and try to help the team win.”

He admitted that it was “a little frustrating” for him and Hextall to take the heat in the press for their performances.

“But management gave us a vote of confidence. They said we couldn’t have made it to the finals without getting good goaltending in the first three rounds. That was nice to see,” said Snow, who felt he and Hextall played well through the first three rounds.

Snow, who was 14-8-8 with a 2.52 GAA and a .903 save percentage during the regular season, said he and his mates “definitely could have played better” against Detroit but said the Red Wings were clearly the better team in the series.

ICE CHIPS – Two former Black Bear wingers are still playing hockey as their respective teams are on the brink of winning championships. Mike McHugh has nine goals, including two in overtime, and seven assists in 22 playoff games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears, who lead Hamilton 3-1 in their best-of-seven Calder Cup championship series. Patrice Tardif has notched one assist in 10 games for the IHL’s Detroit Vipers, who lead Long Beach 3-1 in their Turner Cup championship series…. The Hockey News magazine is reporting that former Maine goalie Mike Dunham and his agent, Bob Murray, intend to file a grievance to the NHL Players Association in order to become an unrestricted free agent. New Jersey put him into several games for only a few minutes each so he could reach the 25-game limit necessary to become a restricted free agent.