UMaine’s Howard out 2-4 weeks with knee injury

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University of Maine sophomore goalie Jimmy Howard will be sidelined for 2-4 weeks due to a knee injury he suffered when he stepped on a puck during pre-game warm-ups before Saturday night’s 3-2 win over Dartmouth.

Frank Doyle replaced Howard as the starter and finished with 16 saves.

Howard will miss the World Junior Championships in Finland from Dec. 25-Jan. 5.

Howard is 5-1-1 with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage this season.

The 12-2-1 Black Bears, ranked third in the country, won’t play again until they open defense of their Everblades Classic championship against Ohio State on Dec. 27. Cornell and Notre Dame meet in the other semifinal.

“Jimmy won’t make the Florida trip,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “He simply wouldn’t be ready to play at that point. And he will be able to rehab his knee just as easily, if not better, here or at his home [Ogdensburg, N.Y.].”

Howard will rejoin the team when it returns on Dec. 30 and he will be re-evaluated.

Maine plays Vermont at Portland’s Cumberland County Civic Center on Sunday, Jan. 4 and will play a make-up game at Merrimack College two nights later.

The Bears will host Sacred Heart on Jan. 10 and UMass on Jan. 16-17.

“We want to make sure he’s 100 percent before he returns,” said Whitehead.

Doyle, who has split the goaltending with Howard, will be the starter with Randolph’s Ray Jean backing him up.

Doyle is 7-1 with a 1.88 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Jean has yet to appear in a game this season.

The Howard injury is one of few negative developments so far as Maine enters the break with a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1).

Senior left wing and captain Todd Jackson said he would have been “hesitant” to predict a 12-2-1 start at the beginning of the season.

“But after a few games, I realized we had a special team here,” said Jackson.

“I’m pleasantly surprised where we’re at in the win-loss column,” admitted Whitehead, who is in his third season after taking over for the late Shawn Walsh.

“More importantly, I’m excited about where we’re at as a team. We’re a little bit ahead of schedule,” said Whitehead.

The team has developed a healthy chemistry and work ethic that have paved the way for success, according to Whitehead.

“The guys have come together real quickly. The freshmen have stepped up and the veterans have done a good job leading,” said Jackson.

Team defense continues to be the mainstay as Maine has held its opponents to two goals or less 13 times in 15 games. Maine remains second in the country in goals-against average at 1.80.

“It really has been a very solid team effort from all three positions. It has to be,” said Whitehead who quickly added that is important for his team to keep improving.

Maine’s power play had been struggling miserably [2-for-37] until the Dartmouth game when it scored two power play goals for the first time in nine games.

“That was a big positive,” said Whitehead who also praised his team’s physical play and net-front presence in the offensive zone against Dartmouth, trends he hopes will continue.

The Bears will be without sophomore right wing Greg Moore (8 goals, 6 assists) for the next four games because he will be joining Team USA for the World Junior Championships. He leaves Thursday.

Moore has eight goals and six assists in 15 games and shares the team scoring lead with Colin Shields (8 & 6) and Michel Leveille (0 & 14).

“I’m really excited about it,” said Moore, who played in the World Championships last year in Nova Scotia. “It should be a great time. I know most of the guys and Coach [Mike] Eaves. I know Coach Eaves’ systems inside and out. I’ll be a lot more comfortable [than last year].”

Lisbon’s Moore saw limited playing time last year but should get more this season.

The Bears won’t practice again until they reconvene in Florida.

Whitehead said they will have a workout regimen to follow during the break and he intends to take all the available players to Florida.