ALBANY, N.Y. – A year ago, the roles were reversed. Jimmy Howard was sitting on the bench, resigned to watching friend and teammate Frank Doyle get the start in an NCAA Regional semifinal playoff game.

Friday night, Doyle was the one looking on from the bench … Until the third period.

Howard, Hockey East first-team goalie and the MVP of the conference tournament, was given a rest after having to face a 33-shot torrent from Harvard University in the first two periods.

Although he played solidly, Howard and his Black Bears were reeling from a 4-1 deficit and head coach Tim Whitehead decided to change things up.

“Looking at the shots on net, I think that’s the most we’ve given up – except for the three-overtime game – in a long, long time,” Whitehead said. “We just did not protect Jimmy like we’ve been doing in the past. We know Frank’s prepared and he’s ready and we put him out there.”

Enter Frank Doyle, the University of Maine’s senior goaltender who had an 18-4 record (ironically, better than Howard’s 12-3-3 mark), an impressive .922 save percentage and a solid goals-against average of 1.84 per game going in.

“I don’t know if we’ve done it more than once all season,” said assistant coach Grant Standbrook, who came down from his customary spot on the upper levels of the arena for the first two periods to the bench for the third, as usual. “I can’t recall doing it this year before now.”

Standbrook, who coaches Maine’s goalies, imparted a few words of wisdom to Doyle and the senior went out and stopped all seven shots – four of which were of the Grade-A variety – he faced.

In the meantime, Howard also said a few encouraging words to Doyle.

“We all know it wasn’t any reflection of how he played with me going in there,” Doyle said. “Jimmy did an unbelievable job keeping it at four goals. He told me to just go get ’em and hold them where they were.”

While Doyle was holding the Crimson at bay, his teammates were staging an improbable rally with four unanswered goals en route to a 5-4 victory that shocked both Maine and Harvard followers alike.

“I’m very proud of Frank. He had a difficult task this week because it’s the first time I didn’t go with him and Jimmy [alternately],” Whitehead said. “He had to refocus despite the disappointment of not playing in that last game, which I know he was ready to play. It’s weird because he and I talked about this exact scenario of him possibly coming in for us.”

It’s one thing to talk about being ready, especially mentally, to come into a game at a moment’s notice. It’s something else entirely to do it cold and do it well.

“Coach told me right after the second period,” said Doyle. “In a game like that, it’s tough to be cold because you’re right into it even though you’re sitting on the bench. You’re watching and you know it’s a big game and you’re focused with the rest of the guys.”

As the rally intensified for Maine, so too did the weight on Doyle’s shoulders.

“The more we came back, now all of a sudden there’s more pressure on Frank to hold the door, but he came through for us,” said Whitehead. “He was up to the task, was very calm, and played his normal game.”

Doyle chalked it up to keeping things simple and not trying to do too much at once.

“When I get the call, my mindset is I’ve got to go in there and make the next save for these guys because you don’t want to go down by four,” Doyle said simply. “I just focused on the basic things I wanted to do and then I went out and tried to have fun.”

Despite his heroics, Doyle’s not a cinch to be in net when today’s East regional final starts at 6 p.m.

“I’ve got to give it some thought and digest the game. I won’t hurry into a decision,” Whitehead said when asked which goalie would start. “I’ll sleep on it, look at the tape, evaluate our opponents, and make that decision in the morning.”

That’s life as a goalie on the deep and competitive UMaine roster these days.

“I have no idea,” Doyle said, when asked about his gut instinct on who gets the start. “We’ll wait and we’ll find out tomorrow.”