Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna has observed that there have been a lot of low-scoring games in the league this season so he decided to do some research.

“So far, we have had 20 games in which neither team scored three goals,” said Bertagna. “Ten years ago, we had eight [such] games. Twenty years ago, we had five.

“Coaches may say there have been a lot of exciting 2-1 games. But if one team gets ahead by two goals in the third period, the mentality is that the game is over.”

And he is concerned about it.

Bertagna said some of the reasons for the goal famine are the emphasis on team defense including the use of the neutral zone trap in certain situations; the thorough videotape breakdown of the opponents’ offensive tendencies and exceptional coaching.

He also noted that hockey equipment is so good, players aren’t afraid to block shots and have blocked a bunch of them.

I would also submit that the league is having a banner year between the pipes.

Three of the nation’s top six netminders in goals-against average and four of the top 10 in save percentage are from Hockey East. The league also boasts four of the nation’s top six defensive teams.

There are five goalies with GAA’s of 2.22 or lower and six with save percentages of .920 or better.

It has been a long time since there have been this many quality goaltenders in Hockey East.

And there is just one senior among the top nine goalies in goals-against average: BU’s John Curry. There are four juniors; two sophomores and two freshmen.

So what can be done to generate more goals?

Bertagna is intrigued by a picture of a bigger net he saw in a hockey magazine.

It is eight inches wider and four inches higher than the current one, which is six feet wide and four feet high.

This would be a radical move and is unlikely to become a reality.

But Bertagna wouldn’t mind trying it out.

“We should try different things. We shouldn’t wait to see what the NHL does first,” said Bertagna.

He would like to see the league adopt the NHL’s overtime rule which consists of four-on-four (skaters) instead of five-on-five.

“You would get to see the skilled players for each team,” said Bertagna.

One thing they shouldn’t do is further reduce the size of the goaltenders’ equipment, according to Bertagna. He explained that the goalies need to be protected.

This season, college hockey goalie pads (maximum is 11 inches) and catching gloves (8 inches) are required to be narrower by one inch over last year’s standards.

Bertagna feels the two referees-two linesmen system that could replace the one referee-two linesmen system as soon as next year would improve the game.

“Players would know they couldn’t get away with stuff [and would be less inclined to do so], ” said Bertagna.

That would further reduce the hooking, holding and interference that ruins the flow of the game and limits scoring chances.

The irony is that Bertagna is a former Harvard University goaltender and Boston Bruins goalie coach. He has also run his own goaltending schools since 1973.

But Bertagna wants what’s best for the sport and its development and more scoring would help.

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