November 23, 2008
Maine's New Darling
by Matthew Conyers/CHN Reporter
Scott Darling's ‘Welcome to Maine Hockey' moment happened quickly.
Starting his first game at Alfond Arena against Northeastern on Oct. 25, Darling took the ice and before he knew it -- just like all the Maine greats before -- a flood of emotions came over him.
"The biggest moment was that game--it was one of the coolest and most emotional moments," Darling said. "I got overwhelmed with it. I was standing in the spot that Ben Bishop, Jimmy Howard, Garth Snow and Mike Dunham had stood before me and it all just hit me. I was here playing for Maine. For the first time, it feel like ‘I was doing this."
Then as quickly as it began, it was over.
Despite playing as well as anyone could hope in his freshman debut in the house Walsh built, Darling let in two third period goals and made just 11 saves.
The Black Bears lost 2-1 and fell to 1-3 on the young season. The game marked a two-game sweep for Northeastern at Alfond, the first in more than 10 years.
Yet, it also marked the last time the Black Bears have been on the losing side of a contest.
Since Darling's premiere at Alfond, the Black Bears have gone unbeaten in seven straight -- including a spine-tingly 2-1 victory over then No. 2 Boston College on Nov. 9.
Oh, and what about Darling during that time? He's only gone 4-0-1.
"We recruited Scott so we obviously believed in him and saw his potential, but to be completely honest with you, he's surprised us with his consistency," Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. "He's a hard worker and a great person and very coachable. We think he can only get better."
Darling's recent run hasn't just turned the heads of the Black Bears and their fans. Last week Hockey East bestowed Rookie of the Week honors on the freshman from Lemont, Ill.
He did, however, have a hiccup this past weekend; he was suspended one game by Whitehead for a violation of team rules. He was back in the lineup Saturday for a 1-1 tie with Merrimack.
"I feel really solid right now," Darling said. "I did my job [in those games]. All I need to do is keep my team in the game."
But Darling has done more than just keep his team in the game during his early career at Maine, he's electrified an extremely young squad that has 10 freshmen and was expected to finish in the Hockey East cellar for the second straight season.
"It's just an honor every time I put on that jersey," Darling said. "Four years ago, I couldn't fathom coming here and now I'm wearing this jersey.
"I actually think that is something that is helping me right now. I'm just so excited to play for this team. It gets me jacked up when I think of what an honor it is to wear this jersey."
All this success comes after being considered an afterthought last March.
"I definitely wasn't expecting all this," Darling said. "I was planning on being an understudy and I wouldn't have mind that. I would've been fine."
But then star goalie Ben Bishop bolted for the pros as a junior. After preparing to back-up the really big man, Darling was thrust into the spotlight with last season's back-up Dave Wilson.
After three seasons with Bishop in net, the goalie situation rapidly turned into a big concern.
"It was a big question and understandably so," Whitehead said. "But we recruited [Scott] and we had faith in him."
"When Ben left, I knew all I could was get ready," Darling said. "I owed it to the team to have a good summer and be ready."
And it didn't hurt that Darling had a little in common with Bishop. Although not quite 6-foot-7 like Bishop, Darling is 6-5 and some say still growing.
"I try to use my size to my advantage," Darling said. "My size has its pros and cons. Some people like to say bigger goalies are slower, but I don't believe that. I'm a butterfly goalie and my size hasn't really slowed me down."
Sound familiar Maine fans?
At the start of the season, the pair worked as a platoon with Wilson starting one night and Darling the next, and it wasn't like the system wasn't working. Wilson played great in a 4-2 victory over Niagara.
Yet, the coaching staff saw something before the Boston College game.
"We had a pretty good idea [Scott] was starting to elevate and he deserved the spot," Whitehead said.
Darling didn't disappoint either.
"That was one of best games as far as consistence and he gave us a big lift in net," Whitehead said.
Since that decision, Darling has been the man between the pipes. But don't mistake this as a goalie controversy.
"Dave and I have a very healthy relationship," Darling said. "If he's having a good game I'm so happy and it's the same for him. We work well together and I wouldn't be upset if he was starting instead."
While all this success is great, Whitehead is quick to point that there are plenty of games left to be played.
"It's great to see Scott playing well, but we're careful not to get carried away," Whitehead said.
Darling also admits he has lots to work on.
"All I want to do is give my team a chance to win," Darling said. "I'm not expecting to play ever game.
Still there have been several improvements in Darling's game already.
"I used to be a scrambler and I've now tried to stray away from that," Darling said. "Before coming here I was more of a wandering goalie but I feel I'm more relaxed. I don't waste my movements.
"One of my biggest assets was being a scrambler, but I wanted to get comfortable and more controlled in college. It's a different game."
This season, Darling has been working with Maine's new volunteer assistant goalie coach Dave Alexander. However, the relationship isn't a new one for either.
"I've know Dave for four or five years," Darling said. "We have a really good relationship. He's only 26-year olds but he is so ahead of his time. I've gotten so much better working with him this year."
Like Darling, Maine is also a team hoping to build on improvement. The Black Bears finished last season with a 13-18-3 record and missed the post-season for the first time in nine years.
This season was expected to be more of the same.
Maine was predicted to finish second-to-last in Hockey East and miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
But with Darling in net and a young energy surrounding the team, their might be another surprise coming out of Orono this year.
"We know our team and we know we're not a bunch of push overs," Darling said. "We're just trying to trying to develop our identity right now."
