Rachel Gettings knew she would have an opportunity to become the University of Maine women’s hockey team’s starting goalie this season since workhorse Lara Smart had graduated.

She won the job by beating out freshman Jayme Wilmann and has responded with a solid season so far.

Sophomore Gettings, who saw only 30 minutes, 21 seconds of playing time a year ago, as a 1.91 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage to go with her 8-5-1 record. She has two shutouts.

“Coming in, I knew there were only two goalies and I was the older one. So I worked as hard as I could to try to earn the No. 1 spot,” said Gettings, who focused primarily on her strength and skating during the off-season.

Gettings and the Bears will host Yale at noon on Saturday.

She has been satisfied with her performance but is quick to point out there is “always room for improvement. I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve got so much more to work on. But I’m having fun and the team is doing well. So far, so good.”

She said her teammates have made her life easier.

“The team has played great in front of me,” said Gettings.

First-year Maine coach Guy Perron said Gettings has “really stepped up to the plate. She as given us a chance to win every game.

“The majority of the time she has been very well-positioned. We’ve got to continue to get more support from everybody else [in front of her],” said Perron.

Perron said part of Gettings’ success can be attributed to her defense corps and the emphasis on team defense.

“They haven’t allowed many second shots. They’ve cleared the front of the net,” said Perron.

Perron said the one area he would like to see Gettings improve upon is controlling her rebounds.

“Yeah, that’s a big thing for me,” agreed Gettings. “That’s something I try to work on. It’s a huge part of the game.”

Gettings has been a goalie from day one.

“The first time I was on skates, I was in goalie pads. I was probably 11 or 12,” said Gettings, a native of Watervliet, N.Y., which is near Albany.

She came to Maine from the Troy-Albany Ice Cats, where she had a 1.28 goals against average and a .960 save percentage and helped her team finish third in the New York State Championships.

She contacted several Division I coaches, including former Maine coach Rick Filighera, and he responded.

“When I came here, I loved everything about it,” said Gettings, who came as a 17-year-old recruited walk-on and isn’t receiving any scholarship money.

Hockey is very much a family affair for the Gettings. Her parents, Terry and Patricia, come to all her games “without fail.” They even came last year when she was backing up Smart.

“It’s always exciting to see them up there [in the stands],” said Gettings.

Terry and Patricia are going to see their daughter play a lot because Wilmann has a broken hand and will have surgery on Jan. 12.

Susannah Orzell, a sophomore forward who has played in one game, volunteered to serve as the backup goalie and Perron said she has looked “pretty good” in practice over the past month.

Gettings acknowledged that there will be extra pressure on her now.