While the team currently sits below .500 with a record of 5-7-3, one bright spot for Governor’s Academy this season has been the emergence of a strong tandem in net.
Through 15 games, senior David Palandjian (Concord, Mass.) and junior Max LaCroix are sharing the load and boast a combined .927 save percentage between the pipes.
“They've both been excellent,” said Governor’s head coach Brian McGuirk (Danvers, Mass.). “Going into this year, I kind of figured one of them would separate themselves as the starter but both have been excellent and both deserve to be in the crease."
Palandjian, an ’02 netminder in his fourth year at the ISL prep school in Byfield, Mass., played decent minutes as a freshman in 2018-19. As a sophomore, he got pushed down the depth chart by the since-graduated Tristan Mecenas, who now plays for the South Shore Kings in the NCDC.
Last season, with Mecenas and him set to compete for the No. 1 spot, Lacroix entered as the scheduled No. 3. With two upperclassmen in front of him — in the midst of a pandemic, no less — it wasn’t an ideal situation for the Castle Pines, Colo., native.
McGuirk (a former Governor’s player himself) was well-aware of it and made sure to keep Lacroix in the loop.
“I try to be pretty honest with my projections,” the fourth-year head coach said. “I don't want to lead a player into a situation where they're coming in with certain expectations and there’s just no opportunity.
"I told Max, ‘Listen, we have a senior in place who I feel is our starter and a junior that’s been with us for three years that's worked hard and deserves some time. So, quite honestly, I don't know how many opportunities there will be for you as a sophomore.’”
While some would shy away from that kind of uncertainty, LaCroix, an ‘04 product of the Colorado Thunderbirds, met the challenge head-on.
“He called me after admissions and said, ‘Hey coach, I’m excited about getting admitted. I love the school, I want to come, I know what the crease looks like and I'm just looking forward to competing and earning my time,'" McGuirk recalled.
“And I said, ‘You know what? Good for you. That's the right mindset to have and we'll see how things play out.'”
The team only managed to play 11 games during the Covid-shortened campaign, but LaCroix held true to his word.
With Mecenas on his way out, he carried his rising play into his junior year and has impressed in several showings, highlighted by a key victory over Dexter, two losing efforts against Belmont Hill and Saturday's one-goal loss at the hands of St. Sebastian’s — all three are represented in the top 10 of this week’s NEHJ Prep Hockey Power Rankings.
“He's been absolutely excellent,” McGuirk said of LaCroix. “He just has that ability not only to keep you in games but steal games for you.
"He plays the position with such as athleticism, and the maturity level and mindset of how he competes ... to me, he's already got that college/pro-type mindset. He’s very mature in how he approaches it.”
A big reason for both goalies' success this season has been the presence of the other.
“We have a special relationship,” LaCroix said. “(Dave) is such an unbelievable guy and a great goalie. We really push each other to get better and hold each other accountable every day."
Palandjian, who has most notably manned the net in a 3-3 tie against Cushing on Dec. 31, as well as Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Lawrence Academy, welcomes the competition.
“He's a great kid all around,” the Concord native said of his partner. “We push one another every single day in practice and we just want nothing but the best for each other."
While the results haven’t exactly been there for Governor’s as a team, the group has shown a lot of fight, and it starts with the duo in net.
“Sometimes it comes down to a couple of bounces that don't go our way but a lot of our games are right there," LaCroix said.
"We’ll either win by one or lose by one but we're always in the fight.”
@_LiamFlaherty
liam.flaherty@hockeyjournal.com
