Howard’s season one of best ever

The more you look at the statistics, the more you realize the kind of year University of Maine sophomore goalie and second-team All-American Jimmy Howard had was rare.

If you think back to some of the great athletes who have worn University of Maine colors and some of the memorable seasons they produced, Howard’s 2003-2004 season has to rank at or near the top of the list.

His 1.19 goals-against average and .956 save percentage are numbers you simply don’t see. They are off the charts.

And the all-Hockey East first- teamer plays in one of the nation’s top two conferences.

He held teams to one goal or less in 15 of his 22 starts. In five other starts, he held his opponent to two goals. He allowed 17 goals in his last 17 games and made 457 saves on 474 shots (.964 save percentage).

His GAA in seven post-season games was 1.20 and his save percentage was .959. That included the four-goal, 29-save, two-period stint against Harvard in the NCAA Tournament.

His season could be compared to Cindy Blodgett’s 1995-96 and 1996-97 campaigns in which she led the nation in scoring by averaging 27.6 and 27.0 points per game, respectively.

Maine center fielder Mark Sweeney set the school record for homers (23) and RBIs (80) in just 229 at-bats in 1991. He also hit .384 and scored 77 runs.

Pitchers Billy Swift and Scott Morse overpowered hitters while winning 10 games apiece for Maine’s 1982 and ’84 College World Series teams.

Then there was Paul Kariya’s 100-point freshman (1992-93) season which produced an NCAA title and the Hobey Baker Award. Jim Montgomery had 95 points and Cal Ingraham scored 46 goals that year.

Running back Carl Smith set school records for rushing yards (1,680) and yards per game (152.7) in 1989. He had nine 100-yard rushing games, as did Lorenzo Bouier in 1980.

Mickey Fein threw for a school-record 2,885 yards in 1997 thanks to 236 completions, also a single-season high.

On the men’s basketball front, Rufus Harris had a memorable 1979-80 season when he carved out his niche in the record books by scoring 718 points and averaging 25.6 ppg.

All of these athletes have two things in common: they had plenty of help and, in turn, they made the players around them better.

In Howard’s case, you can start by looking at tandem mate Frank Doyle. Doyle was 19-4 with a 1.81 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Doyle carried the team while Howard missed five weeks with a knee injury.

They split the goaltending until the Hockey East final and that kept Howard fresh.

Doyle’s scoreless third period buoyed Maine’s four-goal outburst that overcame Harvard 5-4 in the NCAA Tournament.

Their Bear teammates played tenacious, in-your-face defense which enabled them to see most of the shots. Their mates also cleared the front of the net and swept rebounds away.

Their teammates were then able to relax and play with confidence knowing Howard and Doyle would make saves if they made mistakes.

The goaltending was the main reason behind Maine’s 33 wins and run to the final.

Howard and Doyle weren’t flashy because they were so good positionally. The best goalies make it look easy.

Doyle will play pro hockey somewhere next year and Howard will return to help make the Bears another NCAA championship contender.

But their 2003-2004 season will rewrite the record books.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.