Three games into a lackluster season, the Knights were out of options. The Middletown Hockey Club had yet to find a true starting goaltender. Head Coach Eddie Gray addressed his team before practice. He needed someone to step up and put on the pads, even if it was just for the next game. No names were mentioned, but there had to be someone in net. No one volunteered, the room was quiet, players continued to stare at the coach, each hoping someone else would say something. Senior captain Matt Wein knew that, like it or not, it was his job to do whatever was best for the team. Five minutes later, Wein had the goalie gear on, 15 minutes later, he was taking his first shots ever as a netminder, and just 24 hours later, Wein was making his goaltending debut.

Following the 2008-09 season, MHS, like most teams around the area, lost a few key seniors. Unbeknownst to the team, its biggest loss would not be a graduated senior but a rising one, three-year starter in net Kevin Russell.

Russell, who left the team in the offseason, was one of the MSHL’s best goaltenders in ‘08-‘09, playing in 10 of Middletown’s 12 games.

Without a returning backup goalie and without any incoming freshmen with recent goaltending experience, Middletown started recruiting. Some ideas were pitched: maybe a few posters around the school, maybe even posters in the middle school to generate interest throughout the community.

In the end, Middletown decided not to panic, turning to freshman Shawn Lane as the team’s primary goaltender. A few years removed from his last action in net, Lane had played as a forward on a local club team, the Frederick Fury.

“Back when I lived in Florida, I had played a little as a goalie on a roller hockey team,” said Lane.

Comfortable with their lineup and looking to improve on their 5-7 mark from 2008-09, the Knights debuted on Nov. 16, losing 15-1 against Urbana. Lane surrendered the 15 goals on 49 shots, posting a .694 save percentage.

On top of the large number of goals, the loss was a devastating one for the Knights, who had opened the game’s scoring in the first period before allowing 15 straight. Wein attributed this loss of momentum to the team’s fatigue.

“We’ve got a shorter bench than most teams. We just need to work on conditioning,” he said.

Despite the loss, Lane and the rest of the Middletown squad didn’t lose heart, fielding an identical team in the second game of the season against rival Walkersville. Once again, the Knights were routed, losing 9-2 in a game during which, once again, Middletown potted the first goal.

Although Lane improved upon his .694 save percentage from his debut, his .735 mark still left much to be desired.

Hoping to shake things up on the roster, the coaching staff and the players reached a mutual agreement to try a different goalie for the team’s third game.

Lane wasn’t disappointed. “I was looking forward to getting back to the game as a forward, I missed the hitting,” he said.

Chris Huffman, a second-year player used primarily at forward, was chosen as Lane’s successor.  Huffman’s experience in other sports weighed in heavily on the decision.

“He had played the infield before, so we thought maybe he could catch pucks as well as he could catch baseballs,” said Wein.

Frederick High School’s squad was able to exploit the inexperienced tender, running roughshod over Huffman in his debut with 11 goals on just 24 shots.

“Towards the end of the game, (Frederick’s) best players were shooting from just about anywhere; they knew (Huffman) wasn’t normally our goalie,” explained Wein.

He said Frederick focused on shooting in high-traffic situations and Huffman would lose track of the puck while it was in mid-air.

Wein took these in-game lessons to heart, hoping to utilize them come game time in order to rely on more than just instinct while he was in net.

During his first practice in goal, Wein attempted to find his “goaltending style.” Wein settled on combining the two most common styles, butterfly and stand-up into what he called “going hybrid.”

“I was really nervous,” Wein said. “I wasn’t sure if I had done that well in practice. I had a lot of butterflies.”

Through the first period, Wein had stopped every one of Carroll County’s shots. Despite Wein’s efforts, the Knights eventually fell 5-4.

After losing by 14, 7, and 10 in their first three games, a one-goal game was a nice change, but Wein still wasn’t satisfied.

“Considering the amount of experience I’d had before the game, I wasn’t feeling that bad about my performance. It was just that we were so close to our first legit win,” he said.

Despite Wein’s performance, the coaching staff was forced to move him back to the team’s first forward line. Before his game in goal, Wein had been tied for the team lead in points and his offense was too important to lose.

Wein isn’t disappointed or surprised at being returned to the offensive side of the ice.  “No matter what position they tell me to play, I don’t really care; I’m just trying to do whatever’s best for the team,” he said.

Along with a return to the forward position comes the restoration of his captaincy, a responsibility Wein embraces.

The future in net remains in doubt, but the Knights hope the next goalie may be the answer. Senior Lee Delulio, a first-time hockey player, has taken over for Wein.

“I knew I wouldn’t stay in goal for the rest of the year; (the team) needs someone who’s going to stay in there and develop, which I think (Delulio) can do,” said Wein.

“I think that the games are going to start becoming closer,” he said. “We’ll win a few. I know we will.”