The stats were staggering. The records began to pile up. The honors became so numerous they challenged people’s ability to count.
But eventually, the final chapter of the improbable story that transformed a walk-on into an All-American came to a close with a first-round exit in last spring’s NCAA Tournament.
And now, for the first time in three years, the Terriers are faced with a question: Who will fill John Curry’s crease?
Should it be the senior who watched from the sidelines the past three seasons? Can the hotshot sophomore elevate his game and take control between the pipes? Will the freshman recruit get his chance to make an impact?
However long it takes, and whoever comes out on top, let the quest for the net in Life After Curry begin.
Karson Gillespie
Much like every other follower of Boston University hockey, Karson Gillespie never predicted the rise of John Curry.
Curry took Terrier Nation by storm with a brilliant sophomore campaign in 2004-05, a season that happened to coincide with Gillespie’s arrival on campus. Curry’s legend was born, and the walk-on from Shorewood, Minn., ushered in a new era of Terrier hockey following the graduation of Sean Fields, arguably the best goaltender in program history before Curry came along.
Gillespie had every right to be angry, frustrated and jealous. Hadn’t Curry essentially robbed him of what was rightfully his spot? For three years, Gillespie sat and watched as Curry etched his name into the BU record books, collecting every piece of hardware imaginable along the way. All this from a walk-on? Gillespie had been shut out of college hockey because of a story that seemed too good to be true.
But months after Curry’s departure, Gillespie is still singing the praises of his mentor. There are no hard feelings, only memories of a prosperous friendship from which Gillespie gained invaluable knowledge both on and off the ice.
‘When I think about John Curry, I think of all the things he’s done for me,’ Gillespie said. ‘I try not to think about filling his shoes. It’s a different year, and a different team. John’s helped me a lot over the last three years, so I’m going to take mostly positives from playing behind him. His demeanor was the same after he got scored on as if he made a big save. He handled his highs and lows pretty well, and I just want to take that into my game, too.’
Given Terrier fans’ adulation for Curry’s rags-to-riches tale, Gillespie understands there will be nostalgic feelings for the former Hobey Baker Award candidate. But don’t expect Gillespie to feel any added pressure. Now a senior, his focus is solely on what he needs to do to establish himself as the team’s No. 1 goalie. After serving patiently as an understudy, Gillespie’s long-awaited chance has arrived.
‘This is an unbelievable opportunity,’ Gillespie said. ‘We’ve got a great team coming in. This is as experienced a team as you’re going to get at any level. In my college career I’ve played a few games here and there, and I feel I’ve played pretty well in those games. I’m not looking to perform at last year’s level. I’m not really concerned about what the fans think about John Curry. I know he had to fight it with Fields being the guy before him, and he handled it well. I’m just looking forward to going in there and handling it the same way.’
Despite entering the 2007-08 season with just 10 career collegiate appearances under his belt, Gillespie has already gained the support of his teammates, many of whom feel he’s just as talented as his predecessor.
‘Karson’s every bit as good as Curry, but obviously he doesn’t have the numbers to show for it,’ senior forward Pete MacArthur said. ‘When you sit behind a goalie like that for three years, you’re not going to have the numbers to show for it. But Karson’s a great goalie.’
‘We knew Karson was a great goalie freshman year,’ senior captain Brian McGuirk said. ‘He’s always been a great goalie, so there’s no pressure on him to come in and do what John Curry did. John Curry was absolutely tremendous, but Karson is just as capable. It’s just another guy in net that we trust he’s going to be there every night to help us win.’
Gillespie takes his teammates’ belief in him as a tremendous compliment. But the admiration, much like everything else in his BU career, can be traced back to Curry.
‘I probably owe most of [the praise] to John himself, actually,’ Gillespie said. ‘Just watching him in practice every day has helped me so much.’
While Gillespie’s teammates’ confidence in his ability is certainly welcome, he knows it’s up to him to perform come game time.
‘If guys are saying they have just as much confidence in me as they do Curry, I need go out there and prove myself just like anybody else,’ Gillespie said. ‘This isn’t going to be a cakewalk.’
Brett Bennett
Three years ago, while Gillespie witnessed the rise of Curry in person, a 16-year old goalie from outside of Buffalo, N.Y., was being lured by BU. Lured with the promise of a potential starting spot.
Brett Bennett also never saw Curry coming.
Though he only sat behind Curry for one year, it was a long year for the second-year netminder. And with all due respect to the elder Gillespie, Bennett wants to play. And he wants to play now.
‘I thought I would be a guy to come in and make an impact on the team right away, but obviously that wasn’t the case,’ Bennett said. ‘John Curry was outstanding, I understand that. But now, I really think this year could be the year for me to open up and contribute to this team.’
Bennett just doesn’t have the makeup of a kid who enjoys the backup role. A rotating starter, perhaps, but backup would be a hard job for him to swallow.
At the age of 10, Bennett was relegated to backup duty during his youth team’s tournament. For the first time in his life, he sat and watched while somebody else manned the crease for his squad.
‘I was crying on the bench, learning what it felt like to be a backup goaltender,’ Bennett said. ‘Since then, I’ve had a few situations where you know you’re not the man, but here [at BU] was the first whole-year situation where I wasn’t the man. It was definitely a learning experience and real humbling.’
Despite his desire to get on the ice, there’s no question a year behind both Curry and Gillespie served Bennett well, teaching him patience and humility while still maintaining his drive. Like Gillespie, Bennett cites Curry for many of the lessons he learned last season.
‘Benny got a lot of benefit out of last year,’ McGuirk said. ‘He’s improving as well, so I think all our goalies are going to challenge each other.’
It’s a challenge Bennett is certainly up for.
From the beginning of his hockey career, Bennett, like any other athlete, was taught to compete to be the best, to be the winner. But almost always, that competitive drive was focused squarely on the opposing team.
Now, that competition moves closer to home, as Bennett will battle Gillespie and freshman Adam Kraus for the starting slot while still helping to further their talents for the betterment of the team.
‘During games, we always talk to each other,’ Bennett said. ‘If Karson will see I’m doing something wrong, he’ll tell me and also have me look at certain things in his game to make sure he’s doing everything right.
‘We definitely help each other and root for each other. But there’s only one net, and we both want it.’
It’s sure to be a fight that rages on for the better part of the season, and unless one goalie proves himself to be head and shoulders above the rest, don’t be surprised to see a rotation in and out of the Terrier crease.
‘It’ll definitely be interesting to see who rises to the occasion,’ BU coach Jack Parker said. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if we’re rotating them for quite a while. It’s nice to have two guys right now that both think they could be the number one goalie.’
For Bennett, it is an opportunity not to be missed. Another season riding pine could be the most agonizing result of all.
‘It’s probably the worst thing, sitting on the bench,’ Bennett said. ‘No one wants to be there. I don’t think you develop on the bench. You don’t get better on the bench, and no one ever wants to go through that.
‘But, it’s part of being a goaltender.’
Adam Kraus
If Brett Bennett’s situation is frustrating, then Adam Kraus’s must be excruciating.
The rookie from Irving, Tex., joins a program undergoing a transition in goal, a seemingly ideal environment for a newcomer to make his mark. Unfortunately for Kraus, he’ll compete against two goalies who have already waited at least a year to get a crack at the starting job.
Given the situation at hand, Kraus probably won’t be much more than a spectator this winter. Still, the man who literally assumed Curry’s spot on the BU roster is optimistic about what the season will bring for himself and his two teammates vying to become the starter.
‘I’m definitely looking forward to it,’ Kraus said. ‘I want to play, but it’s going to be good to watch the guys who have been here before and get an understanding of how the college game is.’
Kraus occupies a locker next to Gillespie in the Terrier dressing room, an arrangement both hope will lead to a productive and good-natured relationship.
‘Adam seems like a real good kid, a real humble kid,’ Gillespie said.
‘We’ve gotten along great, which is nice,’ Kraus said. ‘Hopefully we’ll be able to push each other in practice and get better every day. We’re competing, but since we’re friends, we’re also trying to make each other better at the same time.’
Bennett, Gillespie and Kraus enter the season with 11 career collegiate appearances between them, a troubling number given that none has a proven track record at the Division I level. But Kraus believes there is an obvious advantage to watching a star like Curry perform on a daily basis.
‘[Bennett and Gillespie] have been here before,’ Kraus said. ‘I think by watching Curry you’re really able to learn a lot.’
Though the 20-year-old backstop likely won’t get a chance to stymie opponents in meaningful games this season, all signs to a point a goalie who will one day command the Terrier crease.
‘Kraus has been awesome in practice,’ MacArthur said. ‘He’s not a third string goalie at many programs. People only consider him a third stringer here because he’s a freshman behind two experienced goalies.’
‘Adam’s a talented kid who was highly recruited,’ Parker said. ‘We’re happy to have him here. But the other guys have been waiting their turn.’
