WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Todd Bebeau couldn’t relax during mornings last month until he retrieved his emails. The Hartford High boys hockey coach needed to make sure Colby Boyce — his one and only goaltender — hadn’t been laid low by injury, illness or lightning bolt.
“I’d hold my breath while looking at the computer screen and wait for an email from Colby’s parents saying he had the flu or (mononucleosis),” Bebeau said. “It would have been catastrophic. The situation’s still not ideal, but it’s better than having just one goaltender.”
Everything seemed normal in the days leading up to Hartford’s late November start to practices. Boyce, a touted freshman, was expected to team with senior Ross McFate, but there was plenty of buzz that the big rookie might be the starter sooner rather than later.
When McFate surprisingly departed the program several days before workouts began, the short-term response was to designate captain Kyle Hamilton as the emergency backup.
The hulking senior is brave, strong and athletic, but he’s no goaltender. So what would Hartford have done if forced to use him?
“We would have all prayed,” Bebeau said somberly.
All’s worked out well so far, however. Boyce has blossomed into one of Vermont’s top high school goaltenders, and classmate Sean Kelliher, brand new to hockey, has become his backup, learning the position on the fly. Hartford is 8-4-1 and sixth among VPA Division II teams, but the Hurricanes are young, improving and poised for a postseason run.
“We’re right where we should be,” said Bebeau, in his 22nd year on the job.
The coach had long known of Boyce because they live in the same Hartford Village neighborhood. Bebeau recalls meeting his netminder as a toddler, and it wasn’t long after that Boyce began attending public skating at Wendell A. Barwood Arena. The youngster played as a defenseman or forward when not tending net as a member of the Upper Valley Storm’s youth program, but he had a choice to make around age 13.
“Goalie felt like me,” Boyce said.
Boyce said he was often his team’s lone goaltender growing up, so assuming that role again hasn’t been overly difficult. The hardest part was not getting many practice breaks during the month before Kelliher’s arrival. Bebeau brought in adult goaltenders on some days, but the workload was still more than normal.
“I was a little nervous because I wanted to be sure I could play at this level and not let the team down,” said Boyce, who’s faced an average of 20 shots per game while posting a 1.68 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. “I know the other (Hurricanes) my age from the Storm and they knew the older guys, so fitting in hasn’t been hard.”
Boyce cemented his status during a 1-0 victory over two-time defending state champion Woodstock in the Hurricanes’ holiday tournament final last month.
He not only blanked the Wasps during regulation time, but he also stopped their last two attempts during a seven-round shootout. Bebeau called it one of the best and most intense high school games he’s ever seen.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking, because I hadn’t done many game shootouts and that one went on for a while,” said Boyce, who surrendered a goal between his legs on the first shot. “You want to be patient and make the shooter freak out and rush his shot.”
Kelliher, found during a word-of-mouth recruiting effort, began practicing a few days later and needed help correctly donning his goaltender’s gear. He practiced for two weeks before Bebeau put him into live drills.
“He held his stick like a pitchfork at first, but his progress has been remarkable,” the coach said. “I know he’s a smart kid, because the second day he was here, he got on the ice and realized he’d forgotten his cup and went back and completely undressed so he could put it on.”
Kelliher’s there to carry some of the practice load, but Boyce is still the main man. With his size and poise, it’s easy to see why Hartford appears set in net for the next three seasons.
Boyce also attends private lessons each Monday in Hooksett, N.H., working on plastic ice in the evening after driving down from Hurricanes practice.
“He’s going to grow and mature and find more of a voice on the ice, but he’s incredibly efficient in the way he moves,” said Bebeau, whose team hosts Brattleboro on Wednesday. “Rarely do you see him flail or dive to make a save. He has an incredible strength to absorb pucks, and when there is a rebound, it’s directed specifically to a corner.”
The toughest part of Boyce’s season thus far might have come on team photo day. The Hurricanes assembled in uniform and posed before the camera, but the rookie needed several takes to comply with a no-smiling edict.
“He had to work really hard at that,” Bebeau said with a chuckle. “He’s just an affable kid and a good human being. We’re lucky to have him.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.