TBRW? Predictions 97

Returning Goaltender Minutes

This indicator, like the rest, is obviously blind to the injuries and suspensions that might cause talented players to lose playing time, but we don�t lose much sleep over it. For one thing, there�s nothing we can do about it. But for another, a history of injuries or academic eligibility problems may correlate with a likelihood of future problems, and this article is all about predicting what is likely to happen, not what should happen, in a perfect world.

RetM, the percentage of goaltender minutes played last season for returning goalies divided by those of all goalies, is about the best indicator you�re going to see for experience in net. Note that virtually every team in the ECAC returns its principal netminders:

RetM -- Returning Goaltender Minutes
Team Ret All RetM
Clarkson 2286 2286 1.000
Dartmouth 1828 1828 1.000
Union 1850 1850 1.000
Yale 1870 1870 1.000
Vermont 2297 2334 .984
St. Lawrence 1677 2116 .793
Colgate 1541 2065 .746
Brown 1263 1953 .647
Cornell 1150 2066 .557
Princeton 436 1825 .239
Harvard 294 2034 .145
RPI 202 2123 .095